《Mania: The Beginning of All》


 Where One Story Ends

    If I''m sure of one thing, one statement that will always remain true, it is that nothing ever plays out how I wish it did. My hand drifts through the darkness, and an inhospitable cold embraces me. How many years has it been since I made that promise? I can''t see a damn thing, and I''m not sure where I was before this. I can''t move, but even if I did I''m sure it wouldn''t make any difference. Even though I cannot see I can feel my hand stretched out in front of me, perhaps to block the wind which tries to blow me away. Am I the only person stuck in this overwhelming void? Will anyone make themselves clear, will anything make itself apparent? My pleas are answered, as the tiniest bit of light appears and grows before me. A hand reaches forth and takes hold of mine as if to free me from my imprisonment, and a voice all too familiar is heard throughout the endless space surrounding me.

    "Hey, are you going to lie trapped under a pile of rocks for the rest of your life?"

    A pile of rocks? I never knew a pile of rocks could feel like empty space.

    "Come on, I won''t remove the whole pile. Grab my hand and get out of there. You can sink into the piles of things near your home after this ''quest''. If that''s what you want your first action to be straight into retirement then I can''t stop you."

    I take hold of the hand that reached out to mine, and I am thrust into the light, and with the light come the memories of the last thirty years.

    "There you go. All nice and rockless, now can we get going? You''re the one who forced me out here today."

    "Well I had a whole plan for the day but that pile of rocks was extremely comfy. You should try laying down in it some time I''m sure you''ll agree."

    "You''d think getting slammed into that same pile wouldn''t help with the comfort factor, but if this is how you''d like to tell me you''re a masochist just know I''m here for you."

    Right, that gigantic dragon. I was so happy and ignorant before I remembered why we were here.

    "You were so excited to go after it too, something about how the coin promised to us would grant you your perfect life of luxury and lethargy. Did one hit change your mind?"

    I think it might''ve.

    Across the forest lay a dragon that stretched taller than the surrounding mountains. The red scales all over its back glistened in the sunlight, and its claws which had been stained red shortly before cast a harmful glare in my direction. The reptile brought its head up and took a large strained breath. Each movement was graceful and coordinated, as if even when fighting for its life it retained the elegance given to it by some higher being. How could any person gaze upon this creature and want to tie it down, to exploit it? How could you see such a pure representation of beauty and seek to remove it from this planet? My admiration was cut short by a breath of fire. My accomplice in what would have been the execution of this beast sprinted to the right, but I did not follow.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Did that pile of rocks also make you abandon your will to live?"

    "I think I''ll be fine."

    I knew that no prison would ever let its prized captive pass away so easily. A wall of chains emerged in front of me and blocked the flame coming my way, diverting it around the wall. These indestructible objects which were once given to me as a gift now bind me to this world, they force me to confront that which I''d rather avoid, maybe even that which I''d be better off avoiding, but they are indiscriminate. My partner reunites with me behind the chains as the fire rages on around us.

    "What are you pondering on? If you wanted to die I would be happy to end your life any other time but we''re on contract."

    "I think we shouldn''t kill the dragon."

    "What?"

    "What?"

    A long pause ensued before she finally spoke up again.

    "I heard what you said, I''m just trying to figure out whether you''ve lost your mind or embraced some pacifism after getting smacked in the head too hard."

    "Wouldn''t I be losing my mind either way?"

    "Maybe. Regardless, in no universe can we back out of a quest, especially not from someone who rules over an entire city-state."

    "When has authority ever stopped us before?"

    A high-pitched ring came from across the mountainscape, and the flames that surrounded ceased to be.

    "Sounds like someone''s got a dragon whistle. Now unless you''re all the way over there at the same time that you''re telling me all about the importance of contracts, I think you understand what this means."

    She glanced at me with disdain before turning towards where the sound came from and unsheathing her sword.

    "I suppose I shouldn''t have expected a lord to understand the importance of commitment."

    "Don''t worry, you''re learning."

    The wall of chains in front of us dissipated as quickly as it appeared, and ahead of us was a large-scale battle between what seemed to be an army of a couple hundred and the dragon we were tasked with killing.

    "It seems like they have a couple dozen mages among them, I know you''re a snob about combat so would you like to deal with them while I take on the soldiers?"

    "Whatever you say."

    "Oh, now we''re listening?"

    She dashes ahead into the group of them as I yell at the warriors grabbing their attention.

    "You''re not laying a hand on that dragon!"

    God that sounded bad. Now they all have to die.

    Well, they all had to die anyway. Breaking contract and leaving witnesses isn''t exactly the smartest choice.

    The chains tasked with my protection come out from behind me, and I guide them towards the crowds in front. Poor souls really, they''re just trying to make a living. The first chain pierces through the skulls of thirteen all gathered in a line, and their corpses fall to the ground when I retrieve the chain from their now useless heads. Another twenty of them charge at me only to be torn, sliced, and compressed by the chains that loom over me. The other soldiers fearing for their lives begin to flee, but they get taken from the ground and shoved into a hollow sphere where they will live out their final moments. The sphere begins to crush them, and slowly their screams no longer plague my ears.

 Where One Story Ends (2)

    "God, you asshole."

    She''d taken care of the mages, their heads bloodied her sword as she approached me shaking her head.

    The dragon must have recognized that at the least we did not intend to slaughter it, after I had crushed the rest of whatever army was trying to take its head it swiftly retreated. I watched it fly away into the horizon wondering if it would remember me, wondering if it knew about the choice I had made. I pondered on whether the dragon thought about the value of its life, maybe it would be more careful in the future because of this encounter. Unfortunately, I did not get to ponder long for I was most rudely interrupted by a fist from someone who I thought was my ally.

    "Ow."

    "You couldn''t have killed them like you killed the others? What''s with the needless torture?"

    She was visibly upset, waving her hands as she was chastising me. I think she picked that habit up from our many years together

    "Sorry Your Majesty, I didn''t realize I was laying my hands on your royal subjects."

    "No amount of sarcasm can detract from the fact that you just forced one-hundred fifty good men who were just doing what they were paid to do into a chain ball of death. You know well that there''s a million other ways you could''ve dealt with them but you chose the one that hurts the most."

    "I''m sure there''s a level above what I did. Are you asking for a display?"

    She hit me again.

    "What''s with the physical abuse, can''t you use your words?"

    "You''re sick, you know that? What, some dragon who''s leveled towns deserves your split-second sympathy but you can''t shred an ounce for men with families who are just trying to get by?"

    Something in her words was extremely agitating. Sure, I chose to get rid of that little army by gruesome means but who is she to tell me off? Where had this focus on morals come from, where was it before? This wasn''t some act of sadism, I just made a choice as to how I''d kill those men and followed through.

    "So what am I now, some unruly mass murderer? Are you going to find the nearest nation and whine until they put a bounty on my head?"

    "God you''re insufferable. Apparently, I''ve found myself in a party with a god who can do no wrong over the past twenty years. I should start counting my sins, I''ve disagreed with you quite a lot."

    "Sarcasm doesn''t fit you. Maybe try simple lies."

    "I''m trying to get it through your thick skull how infuriating you are, but you are clearly the type of person to stare longingly at yourself in the mirror."

    "We have these arguments all the time you know, when should I stop assuming that you''re just annoyed and don''t actually mean what you say?"

    "Let''s try right now."

    She stormed into the patch of burnt woods ahead of her, and I watched her walk away for what must have been the rest of the day. Dusk came and masked the embers of the long-burnt landscape before my eyes as I realized how long I''d been frozen. My period of indecision was broken by the growling of my stomach, and I knew where my next location would be. Hundreds of chains gathered and filled the space beneath my feat, they acted as my pathway for wherever I chose to go.

    ...

    I opened the door to the inn only to find an empty hall, the only sounds finding my ears were that of the main fire in the center and the stream of liquor hitting the bottom of a tankard. I turned to my left and found an old husk of the innkeeper who greeted me with the widest smile you''ll ever see for a man who''s three steps from death''s door.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    "You seem to have missed the sign outside, we''re not open today."

    "Why''s that? Finally, decided that you''ve made enough money from the people who come here hoping to meet us?"

    "Well it does have something to do with you in particular, though, the young miss came through here back when the sun was still up to tell me that the event planned for today was a mistake. I must say I was most confused that you were not with her."

    "An event?"

    "Well, it''s to no surprise that you did not know. She planned a retirement party for you and her, and she asked me to keep the crowds out for one evening so you two could eat and drink in peace. I of course couldn''t refuse a request from my most treasured patrons."

    A party? Why would she plan a party? I was the one who asked her to do one last mission on a whim, I basically sprang it on her. The night before I kept her up late practically begging for today to happen, so how did she have the time to plan anything? Why did she even consider it?

    "Wondering why she went to these lengths?"

    "I''m wondering why she went to any lengths at all."

    I grabbed my seat at the round table we always sat at. The table had blade marks scattered across it and all of the chairs, despite being hidden under the table had the same memories of usage engraved on their wood. The innkeeper brought me a tankard and some and a freshly baked loaf of bread.

    "This is all you have to give to your self-proclaimed prized patron?"

    The innkeeper chuckled, but his laughter was interrupted by coughs. As he shortly gasped for air I could almost hear his lungs crying out for help, asking to be laid to rest.

    "If you don''t mind my intrusion into your life, I believe she harbors feelings for you."

    "Well, I''m glad she had the courtesy to keep someone who she has been next to for most of her life in her mind."

    "Don''t be a fool, she loves you, patron. I strongly believe that she wants to be closer to you than she is."

    "Everyone wants to be closer to me, ever since I was crowned the savior of this nation every single countryman, every noble, all of them have yearned for my attachment."

    "I think you understand well why her situation is not like the ones you have experienced many times before. There are tens of thousands of people who hold you in high regard. Some of them think that you''re a particularly likable character, others admire your actions, and some others only view you as your accomplishments. A few of these people mistake the opinion they hold of you for some emotional attachment to you, and so naturally they want you to reciprocate that attachment."

    He walked back over to grab a tankard from behind the bar.

    "This is the majority of what you see, people who are misled into believing that they want you to be emotionally attached to them. The reason I am so sure that these bouts of chasing you wherever you go attempting to grab your attention are merely fleeting impulses rather than some genuine desire for you is because they do not know you in the slightest. All you are to them is someone who has a story to tell, someone who has done great things, but if they were asked to describe you purely from their perspective they would either avoid the question or deliver an answer that could not be further from the truth."

    "So the fact that she is an actual accomplice of mine instead of someone who has simply heard my name means what in regards to these alleged emotions of hers?"

    "Maybe her feelings are not true, maybe she is misled, but out of everyone who has ever proclaimed their love for you, would she not be the one who you would trust most to say such a thing?"

    "I can see the other members of my party conveying similar thoughts to me just as well."

    "Perhaps that is true, but they are not with you anymore. She is the only one that has elected to stay near you. Despite all the arguments, despite the disbandment of your party and all that came with she has stayed your accomplice, your partner. Surely she wouldn''t do such a thing if she didn''t want to."

    He was right. I''d known of her feelings for me since our early days. The arguments that I gave the innkeeper with false pretenses were nothing but a representation of the same avoidance I''ve kept over the last twenty years. I''ve led her on, nearly bordered on emotional manipulation just so I don''t have to accept or reject the notion that she loves me.

    Perhaps it is because I am afraid that regardless of my choice our relationship will end in flames just as the rest of mine have. Maybe I just can''t comprehend commitment, like that damned lord who hired us to kill that dragon. But it was all too late now. I''m sure that she''s already talked to the rest of my "friends" about what happened today and they''ve all told her to give me a rest, to simply let go. Even if she did come back, what would I say? I''m forced to confront my feelings.

    Perhaps it is better this way. I''ll find some way to justify my actions, rationalize what I did today, and convince myself that she was corrupted. I''ll tell myself that she became just like the rest of this party who could no longer stand me, but that it could never be my fault. They act in bad faith when they damn me, whether it''s because they are jealous, or they just have fleeting anger at me that they allow to devolve into hatred. There is always an explanation as to why people act a certain way, so why would they escape that principle?

    Yeah, that certainly sounds believable.

    I would believe it in another few days if she hadn''t walked through the door.

 Where One Story Ends (3)

    "Well, look who decided to come back."

    The innkeeper smacked me in the back of the head.

    "That is no way to greet someone who planned a whole event for you."

    She looked at me wistfully, it seemed like she expected me to be here. Maybe she wanted to continue from where we left off earlier, or maybe she wanted to apologize. I certainly just gave her a great reason to choose the former.

    "Don''t bother, it''s alright."

    She sat down at the table right across from me. That''s where she always was, right in front of me. Everyone else could be raging about, whether they were drunk or involved in an argument. We''d take solace in the little connection between us, always leaning in until the chairs whined for mercy just so we could hear each other. However talkative we were, it didn''t matter now. The air was so tense you''d think we had been at odds for ages and we''d just been brought together through friends of friends. I feared that if I tried to speak my lungs would close in on themselves and I''d suffocate just trying to say hello. I considered myself blessed when she was the one to initiate some conversation between us.

    "How does it feel to finally be retired?

    She smirked at me while asking me this. For the longest time, I had hoped that we''d only stop taking on quests when our bones had long decayed and we couldn''t think straight, but of course, this wouldn''t come to pass. She was poking fun at me but at the same time, she felt pity for me. Maybe she planned this party to make me as happy as she possibly could before forcing me to accept that my dreams had come to an end. Was she always kind like this? I let out a sigh and decided I''d be better off responding.

    "That word makes me feel so old. Next thing you know I''ll become the innkeeper of this place. Some shrewd old man with far too many stories to tell."

    "Somebody needs to take that role. I don''t think we have enough old men with stories in our time."

    She grinned at me as if she''d just made some amazing joke.

    "I don''t think I''d like to become an old man. I don''t intend any disrespect to you innkeeper, everyone can choose the life that fits them best, but your life simply isn''t for me."

    "I do not believe you could live my life, patron. You are someone who chases excitement, perhaps even someone who needs it. The quiet life does not suit you at all."

    "Everyone knows that he can''t live without excitement. That''s why he can''t handle retiring, he feels like he''ll wake up the next morning and become some husk of who he was the day before."

    "Hey, that''s not true. I''d be bored out of my mind, sure, but I''m certain I''ll find a way forward. The end of this party just means that the world is telling me to pursue a different future, maybe I''ll venture out into the world by myself, or insert myself into kingdom politics."

    "Look who''s getting all sentimental. I didn''t realize this party meant so much to you and your future."

    "Of course it meant something to me. Back when we first created this party I thought I had found the people who I would spend the rest of my life with. That first mission of ours made me believe that we''d become inseparable."

    She signaled to the innkeeper for more alcohol.

    "I think we were inseparable. Even now that everything appears to be over I bet that if we went around and asked all of them whether they enjoyed the time we spent together they would undoubtedly say yes. I still think that if we all met on neutral ground we could be close again."

    "Always the optimist."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "That was once your role. Even when we got tired, maybe we had doubts about continuing to follow you we all saw how happy you were just to be around us and it reminded us of why we joined to begin with."

    "Well I''d say I''m still the same jovial man I was back then, so I guess something else must have changed."

    "Come on. It''s our last day and you''re going to spend the end of it sulking about how we fell apart? If you want to reminisce at least do so with good memories in mind."

    "Well, that''s what the alcohol is for."

    The next two hours were spent getting drunk out of our minds and recounting all the feats that we had accumulated over thirteen years of being together. We had both long acquired a fair resistance to alcohol, so it was more like we were acting like drunkards because of the context rather than the drinks themselves. An inescapable blush tainted both of our faces, occasionally taken over by a pale green when we puked. Eventually, the innkeeper just placed buckets by our seats as he had gotten tired of bringing them over whenever we showed signs of throwing up. I hadn''t noticed, but she had been slowly creeping her way across the table closer to me. Seat by seat we spoke more quietly as she inched further towards me. By the time I realized she was doing this, we were already right next to each other, with our heads on the table supported by our left or right arms.

    "I still remember when Reindt and Alice were in the early stages of their relationship and we went on that mission with the Chidle cave. He wanted to manufacture some moment straight out of a fairy tale where he saved the damsel in distress, and so he''d constantly be throwing himself in front of her and get thrown around by the Chidles. We all thought he was a bumbling fool and I got rammed into myself because I was too busy laughing so hard I nearly choked."

    "What I remember from that is Alice actually thinking it was extremely romantic. She would pull me to the side and obsess over his every step. She told me that she eventually started purposefully freezing in front of the beasts so he would be near her, even if just for a second."

    "Look at you, you were a confidant for their relationship. So you can be a good person."

    "They were both my friends and so clearly in love, I couldn''t escape helping even if I tried."

    I took another sip from my tankard and laid my head down on my arm once more. She smirked at me again, at least that''s what I thought until I got the chance to see her face for longer. She displayed a gentle smile, her eyes closing slightly as she looked at me, as if she wasn''t just happy to say something to me, to make some snide remark but rather that she genuinely enjoyed being there, it seemed as though she actually wanted to be here rather than showing up out of some moral obligation to do so.

    It had been so long since I had just looked into her eyes like this, I had nearly forgotten how she looked. Her entire outfit matched her hair, a strong dark red that she always liked to call "maroon," which was in stark contrast to her excessively pale skin. Her hair was somehow messy and straight at the same time. It looked as though she was constantly running her hands through it but you could take a needle and it would pass through her hair without obstruction. It was quite long too, stretching across her back. I once asked her how she never cut it a bit shorter, being someone who considers themselves well-versed in combat and she said that she was someone who was constantly moving forward, and so her hair was always behind her.

    Her outfit itself was comprised of what we all liked to call "misleading cloth," as it appeared to be a set of clothes you could wear to a ball and still be considered well-dressed, and yet every part of it was optimized for any ensuing fight. She once told us that the clothes were part of a keepsake given to her by her absent parents, in the form of a promise given by a long-departed armorer who was once considered the best across every kingdom. She wore a heavily padded blouse that had been imbued with an enchantment to remove all of its weight, along with braes that were held to her figure through a drawstring that doubles as some sort of multitool.

    All this was covered by a large cloak that stuck tightly to her torso but flew with the wind everywhere else. If I had to go on about every part of her outfit and how it shaped her abilities I''d be stuck in thought until the sun had risen again the next day.

    The unfortunate fact was that this combat-focused ally of mine was so beautiful that I was intoxicated in two ways. Nobles would often approach me offering riches beyond compare just for the chance to converse with her, and here I was spending an entire night next to her simply talking about our past. I don''t think I am conflicted about whether I can return her feelings, certainly I can. Maybe the future I was talking about was one spent with her. Maybe the quiet life I thought I would find boring could yield interest if I woke up next to her. The only way I could get to such a future, however,

    "Hey Alena,"

    "We''re using names now? What is it?"

    I took a deep breath before the most pivotal moment of my life, and yet,

    "I lo-"

    I had choked on my word just as I was prepared to confess. In that brief moment when I was allowed to think on my planned actions my blissful ignorance escaped me, and I was returned to the plight of thinking with my head and not my heart.

 Where One Story Ends (4)

    "You know I still remember the second night that we came here and this table was taken by some third-rate adventurers who looked like they were pretending to be cavemen. We were tired out of our minds and so we leaned against the wall trying to catch our breath before we went elsewhere and the first thing I saw after opening my eyes was you standing over them after they had been knocked unconscious."

    "There was no way I was going to let them take our table on day two, think of what that could''ve done to our morale. Before we came around everyone believed in various superstitions, I was sure someone would see that moment as a bad omen."

    "Yeah, that sounds like it could be true. You liberated those seats for our usage because of your noble soul, you have many lessons to give to the world, no, to me. Have you ever considered taking me on as your apprentice?"

    "First of all, I''d love to have authority over you, I''m sure being able to order you around would make my life complete. Second, while saving the good people of Rhinrhead from us stumbling around trying to find a place to sleep and ensuring our party stayed together was my first priority, I of course couldn''t ignore that I stood to gain a seat at this inn along with food and drink. I''m not naive."

    "Right, well I''ll travel over to the village of ''Rhinrhead'' and tell them all about your good deeds."

    "What are you talking about, we''re here right now."

    "We''re in Rheadrith, how drunk could you have possibly gotten?"

    "That''s an extraordinarily stupid village name, who agreed to this?"

    "You personally told the chief of the Melantian Consulate to keep the name when they wanted to change it because of some newly appointed Marquis."

    "Well, the clear answer here is that I was sober when I told him to do that, now I''m drunk and I think that version of myself could not be more idiotic."

    "You and me both."

    "Hey, don''t be rude to sober me! They''re not evil they just don''t have any sympathy for the drunk. You know that''s what I think this world needs."

    "Evil?"

    "No. What? Why would the world need more evil?"

    "I don''t know, you just told me to not be mean to ''sober you'' and that they were evil."

    "I said that sober me wasn''t evil, how drunk are you?"

    "We might both be beyond saving."

    "Anyways! Back to what I was saying. This world needs more sympathy for the drunk. Imagine how many drunkards are just going about their day and then get publicly shamed for mispronouncing Rhinrhead."

    "Rheadrith."

    "Rheadrith, right. There, I just did it again! That means the same poor drunkard I was talking about has probably done it twenty times by now!"

    "This is an astounding mathematical philosophy lecture."

    "I don''t think mathematical philosophy is even a real cla-"

    She leaned over and puked into the bucket lying down beside my seat instead of hers. Her bucket was practically overflowing while mine was nearly empty.

    "God, it never gets better. I think that''s an actual omen."

    Her drunken happiness had escaped her voice, and with her unfortunate route of sobering came her calculated demeanor, the environment seemed as if it was no longer one between friends but some sort of meeting between acquaintances deciding their next step.

    Usually, even when she was sober she didn''t maintain any sort of guise around me, she would express herself as she saw fit and she didn''t feel the need to keep some mask of professionalism. Any time she acted like this around me we were either with company who she wouldn''t show an ounce of vulnerability to, or she was going to break some news that would require some detachment from the conversation ahead.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Talking about lectures reminds me of something I''ve been meaning to speak with you about. If you need to sober up I ask that you do so now."

    "I never get so drunk I can''t put my memory together in the morning."

    I immediately saw a look I could only describe as disdain. Was she angry with me because I wasn''t drinking as much as she was? How is that fair? You can''t force somebody to degrade their mental state. What reason would she even have for being upset? Does she see my refusal to get ridiculously drunk as some sort of lack of trust?

    I mean I don''t ever put myself in a situation like that on purpose, but that''s not because I don''t trust her, it''s because I don''t know what could happen. I don''t trust that the entire night will go on without any incident that would need me to be at least conscious. I was so put off by this initial glance of hers that I wasn''t paying attention to whatever she had said. I snapped out of whatever drunken facade I was portraying, or rather I was snapped out of it by this unordinary change in attitude.

    "Hey, are you listening?"

    I had to think of something quick. What would my excuse be? I couldn''t just tell her that I was upset that she was upset with me, what if I misinterpreted her glance?

    "Sorry, the smell of vomit is quite distracting. Can I dump the buckets outside?"

    "Sure. I don''t think this is the type of conversation to have in the stench of vomit anyways."

    I picked up both buckets and walked to the door. I noticed that the innkeeper was gone, I assume he left sometime while we were becoming more unruly so he wouldn''t have to deal with our antics well into the night. Luckily she was bothered by the vomit as well, otherwise I''m sure she''d be talking my ear off about how irresponsible I was as a person, and how my inability to listen at that moment was nothing if not indicative of the reason everything in my life has never gone in my direction. I returned inside to find her sitting in her original seat across the table.

    God, she''s either about to tell me that everyone I know is dead or that I should die. Neither seems like what I want to get out of a luckily revitalized retirement party. I took a seat where I was originally and prepared for another argument.

    "I really am sorry about that, I feel like I was going to throw up again if I didn''t do something about that smell."

    "It''s fine. Listen, what I''m about to propose to you is not a joke, it''s not some ploy, some rouse, this is a legitimate offer and I think it might provide the solution you''re looking for."

    "The solution for what?"

    "The solution for what you are to do after tonight, after our retirement."

    "Well under normal circumstances I''d say no immediately just to spite you but these are trying times. What is it that you have in mind?"

    "Over the past three months, I''ve met with every member of our former party except for you asking them if they''d like to be included in a project I''ve planned since my early days at the run-down academy of Naelryd. You see when I was there-"

    "I don''t need the life story, Alena. You know that I trust in your proposals and you also know that no amount of context will change my opinion on those proposals."

    "Right. I want you to come and work as a professor for an academy that I''m planning to found in five years time. In that time, you and a few others will search the world for potential candidates, people who you believe can have bright futures under our guidance. Once we have found one hundred possible students who have agreed to join the academy when it opens we''ll spend the remaining time developing our curriculum, ensuring that the academy has all the resources it needs, all and whatnot."

    "Let''s start with the most important questions, who are these ''others'' that will be with me? Who else from my party have you gotten to agree to this?"

    "Klein and Ryoma have both agreed to work with me, I haven''t received any final answers from any of the other members."

    Great, so the gambling addict and the embodiment of naivete.

    "Great, so the gambling addict and the embodiment of naivete."

    Why the hell did I say that?

    "Well, I suppose it was worth a try. Goodnight."

    She got up from her chair and swiftly made her way to the door. What? Why was she just walking away? Sure, maybe that comment was a bit out of line, but she''s just going to revoke the opportunity she seemed intent on me accepting? Wait, did she even intend for me to accept? Was she trying to bait me into giving some response, saying even a single word that would allow her to drop me as a possible professor? I''ve only ever seen her act this way towards nobles whose egos ruin every interaction they have with people.

    The kind of people who see the world as something for them to take, the ones who always want to get something out of every conversation. Why in the hell would she ever act this way towards me? What did I do? What could I have possibly done? My confusion and fleeting anger that stemmed from this seemingly planned rejection manifested in the worst possible response to this situation.

    "What are you walking away for, trying to masquerade as your parents? I didn''t know you wanted to leave something you thought was useless behind."

    She stopped right before opening the door and slowly turned to me. I expected some pitiful stare, some display of the self-righteousness I knew her well for. What I saw instead was a representation of rage I would think was only possible through a blood-curdling scream. It was as though the message "you''re screwed" reverberated throughout my soon-to-be corpse with every step she took in my direction.

    As she was slowly walking towards me, I thought to myself.

    Why would I ever say such a thing to someone who I was prepared to have a whole life with?

 Where One Story Ends (5)

    I had awoken to a pitiful scene, chairs and tables scattered across the inn and a letter atop me along with a child who had seemingly fallen asleep against the worn-down walls. I could only recall bits and pieces from the night before after I had played on her trauma, but I''m sure whatever happened couldn''t have gone well. I managed to get one line she screamed at me from that supposed argument,

    "I can''t believe how horrible I must be for ever trusting you."

    That line alone rang in my ears. Was this something she said because of my provocation or was it some buried belief of hers, emotions that she kept chained for one reason or another? Did she always see me as someone who she had to pretend to like, someone who she couldn''t ever tell the truth?

    These thoughts plagued me until I could no longer bear the incessant paranoia wracking my mind, and I was forced to get myself together and move on with the day so as to have any hope of distracting myself from the indescribable mistake I had made the night before.

    When I stood up, the letter that was supported by my body fell to the ground. It was from her. Maybe it would offer some explanation? Of all the things that I could read, I hope that I won''t have to hear more criticism from her than I am already giving to myself. When I opened the letter I didn''t find some long, drawn-out explanation of her feelings, nor did I find anything concerning the night we had just experienced, all that was written were four words.

    "Deal with the child."

    Right. The child. He was still asleep on the wall when I looked over at him for the second time. How did this random child get here? I assume either she found him somewhere nearby and decided to make me atone for all my sleights by forcing me to foster this random kid, or he walked in on our fight and got caught in whatever crossfire ensued between us. He looked extremely skinny, nearly malnourished, with pitch-black hair that stretched to his shoulders on the back but rested right over his eyes. The only other people I''ve met with that hair were from the eastern nation of Elknid, however, he didn''t have any clothes or possessions on him that would tell me where exactly he was from. He was dressed in rags that were hanging onto him for dear life, and in his left hand lay a pocket watch with the chain linked to the rags around his torso. I walked over to the child to wake him up so I may have a better chance at understanding how exactly he got here, but as I walked over I was able to see behind him, and there was my answer. A katana nearly half his size was what he chose to balance between him and the wall as he dozed off. While this confirmed that he was from Elknid, only a few families ever had swords that were made with specific stylistic choices for them, like the handle or the guard. Usually, the sheath was imprinted with the crest of whatever family the sword was made for, along with a specific color of the sheath itself, but this one was so worn down that I couldn''t discern a specific color, much less any sort of thing resembling a crest. Whenever the highly renowned noble families of Elknid birthed a son there would be parades marching through the streets, and eventually, all of the other nations would catch wind of the news, but I hadn''t heard of any of those families having children, let alone a boy recently enough for this child to be from one of them.

    I flicked the boy on the head until he eventually woke up. Maybe a bit too hard though, he seemed disoriented when he finally opened his eyes, at least more so than any normal person would be when they''re just waking up. When his eyes met mine I prepared to ask him a few questions, but as quickly as he had awoken he dashed away from me to the other side of the inn.

    "I''m not going to kill you, I just need to ask you a few questions."

    He was shivering. The fire had presumably been out since the innkeeper had left, he wouldn''t trust two people getting more drunk by the second to make sure the entire place didn''t burn down. He looked at me, and then back to the katana he was clutching close to his chest. He readied the blade by his side and it seemed as though he was preparing to draw it.

    "Hold on just a second. First off, you wouldn''t win a fight against me if you tried your hardest. I don''t think in your state you could even start a fight with anyone. Second, if I wanted to remove you from the face of this earth you wouldn''t be here preparing to swing your heirloom at me fearing for your life. Finally, you had been asleep until sunrise this morning when I woke up, and I haven''t done anything to you yet. I don''t want anything from you, you''re just some kid who ran away from his home and is now trying to survive by hoping to run into some good samaritans. I''m either hung over or recovering from being knocked unconscious, so either way I really have no reason to hurt some random child who I woke up in the same room as. Can you, at the least, answer my questions? You don''t have to come over here, I just need some sort of understanding of what is going on around me."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The kid returned his sword to his chest, and he grabbed a nearby chair to sit down. I could hear his entire body recoil as he sat, how long had he been out in the countryside alone? The trip from Elkid to Melantia is long enough when you go through the capital, if you go around it you have to navigate the woods adjacent to Aerdal which is hard enough for professional adventurers.

    "Now, where did you come from? How did you get to this village?"

    He didn''t respond, he just sat there with his sword and stared at me.

    "Can you speak?"

    He nodded.

    "Are you going to?"

    He shook his head.

    "Great, well I guess we''re going to ask only yes or no questions. Did you come from Elkrid?"

    He stood still once again.

    "Well now I''m lost, you can''t answer questions without speaking either?"

    He started to shake his head, but eventually, he took a deep breath. His lungs sounded like that of the innkeeper''s.

    "I don''t remember where I was yesterday. I woke up and I was here."

    He started violently coughing, and before falling to the floor he managed to get one more thing out:

    "I need water!"

    I sprinted over and caught him before his head hit the floor, he clearly couldn''t withstand another injury. Just as I was lying him down on his back the innkeeper had opened the door and walked in. I stumbled over my words as I tried to explain the scene he was viewing.

    "Listen I, uh, a lot of stuff happened- you know friendship is complicated-"

    "She told me what happened last night already, patron."

    "Well you joining in to chastise me shouldn''t be your priority right now, this kid needs water and I don''t remember where you put the version of it that isn''t taken from the local stream but I ask that you give him that water."

    "I do not know what you could possibly be talking about-"

    "Now isn''t the time to be saving face, he''s morbidly dehydrated and just passed out after saying a few words."

    The innkeeper rushed over and grabbed a glass bottle from the shelf under the barrels full of beer and wine. It had a stamp on it from the capital. Probably his personal supply. He rushed it over to me while opening it and I forced the entire bottle down the kid''s throat. He seemed disheartened that this water was being used.

    "For the record, by the way, anyone who isn''t drunk can tell that at least something is wrong with the water that you hand out to the masses. One whiff of it and I can already make out the watered-down piss. It''s also hard to not notice that you practically deny people access to the water until they''ve had three or more drinks. Harder to tell that water doesn''t seem quite right when you''re still recovering from the aftertaste of alcohol."

    "I am not going to spend thousands of Melus on clean water. Maybe if you had not ridiculed that noble family that was trying to stop people from mistreating every single source of water they could find because you thought they were trying to impose their will on the ''poor citizens of defenseless Rheadrith'' then we would not have this issue."

    "The nobles always pretend to have a cause that befits their reputation, how many other towns do you think have been ransacked for every resource they could muster because the people believed snobs who lamented about how every single aspect of their suffering was entirely their fault?"

    "Is that why you pushed away nearly the entirety of your party? Because of your distrust of nobles?"

    "Why are you bringing up past mistakes now, did you find whatever Alena told you infuriating beyond compare?

    "I do not care about what happened between you last night. If anything I''m more upset at the large bill in my future that is only increasing by the second."

    Right, the water. I took the bottle out of the kid''s mouth and held my head on his chest listening for any signs of breathing. If he died right in front of me I''d be in a deeper hole than I had already dug myself into. By this point, I had accepted that I wasn''t going to see her for a while, but if she ever found out that I let the random child she entrusted me with pass away I''m sure she would come find me just to end my life herself.

    My hopes were answered when the kid sat up and violently coughed once more. He spat out blood and dropped his sword as his hands clung to his chest. After a rough few minutes of me hitting his back as hard as I could while making sure not to knock him across the floor, he took a deep breath and looked at me.

    "Who are you?"

 Where One Story Ends (6)

    "Are you having problems with your memory?"

    He was looking around the inn, he actually seemed unaware that he was even here before he regained consciousness. He appeared extremely timid like he had to wait for the perfect moment just to get out a single word. Even as he spoke he stumbled over himself, like he wasn''t sure about what he wanted to say while he was saying it.

    "I don''t think so. I remember walking on a path on the way to some village, I''m pretty sure it was this one."

    "Do you remember where you came from?"

    "Yeah, I was at my home before this. My parents sent me out to chase the... dog."

    Well, it''s painstakingly clear that he''s lying. I don''t really care enough to wonder why, he''s probably just some runaway who''s mad that his parents didn''t get him every single thing under the sun. I don''t need another responsibility when I''m already going to be spending the next half of the year making up for this incident. I may as well find myself serenading her in the pouring rain, maybe a pathetic display of that level will provoke some sympathy from her, and maybe I can find her good graces once more.

    The innkeeper pulled me to the side so our conversation could not be heard by the child.

    "I can see that you are contemplating abandoning this child. Before you make what may be your worst choice yet let me offer you a different solution. You want to make amends with the girl do you not?"

    "Sure."

    "And she left you a note asking you to take care of this child, did she not?"

    "She said to deal with it. I''m sure turning away some likely spoiled brat fulfills that criteria. Hell, I''m sure that she would make the same choice if she were in my position."

    "In what world would she ever see a child covered in rags walking alone throughout Rheadrith and deliver them to you just to expect that you would turn them away, ignore whatever plea they have come to deliver?"

    So she did come back with the kid after our fight.

    "So what are you asking of me, that I take him with me somewhere? If he is as spoiled as I think him to be he''ll probably run away again when I don''t fulfill his every need."

    "Maybe, but how will you ever know what will happen if you do not give him a chance first? Your entire life you have chosen to take risks, you have navigated through every conflict headfirst without hesitation, so what is it about what seems to be someone who has found themselves in an unfortunate circumstance that fills you with suspicion? Why do you see a child who clearly requires help even if only in the slightest degree and presume that because they are not entirely truthful in their words they have some ulterior motive to defraud you, to steal that which you have?"

    Unfortunately, he wasn''t wrong. I was being particularly cynical, likely because of the quick progression of events over the last twelve or so hours. I owed it to this kid to at least give him a chance, even if he wanted to find someone who would give him everything he asked for, if he had come from Elknid like I suspected he surely has come long enough to be rewarded in some regard. There''s no way he could realistically take something of great value from me anyway. At the end of the day, he doesn''t pose any risk to me.

    I turned back to the kid, he was still on edge. Every moment that passed seemed like one that he could prepare to run, or maybe try his luck at striking me down. If he had truly gone around the capital he''s probably been running for his life from each dawn to the next for around a month. I would think that no child of nobility, no matter how greedy would ever go to such lengths just to get whatever they want in the fleeting moment that they express that want. As I prepared to speak to him I knelt down so we were at the same height, hopefully it would make me appear more friendly.

    "Listen, do you need a place to stay?"

    He nodded. I hope we''re not back to purely nonverbal communication.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "I have a cottage over on the outskirts of Cyndor that I haven''t used for a fair while. I bought it back when I would have colleagues over often so the place has several bedrooms. Since it would be unusually cruel of me to leave some poor child alone how about I bring you with me there, and I''ll take care of you until your memory comes back and we can find whoever you truly belong to."

    "Would you really be fine with that?"

    "Don''t hold back now, you''ve already gone through the painful journey of getting sympathy from me. Doubling down on the emotional blackmail will only make me regret the decision I''ve just made."

    His face lit up and then he giggled. He had one of those smiles that people yearn to see again and again. The type of smile that makes you feel rewarded just for being around them when they''re happy. At that moment I chuckled too, I didn''t want to be left out of this pivotal moment in his life. It had been so long since I''d had a moment to just laugh, to be there with someone who I knew, at least in that fleeting moment-

    Well, they were someone who I could at least believe was better off with me there. Believing was enough, enough to make me feel needed, enough to give me some sort of support.

    We stayed another night at the inn, the innkeeper ensured that he was well-fed and rested while I went around town preparing for our journey on horseback. There was no way that he''d survive if I brought him with me by chain, he''d either get blown away or injured in some other manner. Plus, I needed some time to relax after the hectic day I''d experienced just before. The five days we would take to get to my cottage would allow me a brief period to fully grasp what I would do about my now discordant relationship with Alena.

    The next day came and we set off on our carriage. The child only had his katana and pocket watch with him, and I did not have much of value with me either. As so to not expend the resources of the now nearly bankrupt innkeeper I gave him a thousand Melus, and I paid another five hundred in the local market to procure proper food and water for the five nights we would be on the road. The first day on the road was spent mostly in silence. I was imagining scenarios in my head about the various ways I could approach Alena should I ever find a viable opportunity to do as such, and I''m sure the kid was thinking about what the cottage would be like. Eventually, the silence was broken by the coachman who prefaced a story about notable people he''d had the opportunity to ride with a question about whether the child was from some special family. We stopped for the night at a military outpost on the eastern border of the Aerdal woods, and while the kid slept soundly I was unable to fall asleep at all, kept awake by the sounds of the bonfire in the middle of the outpost. The second day took us through the royal capital. I only poked my head out of the carriage to get us through the various checkpoints, if any of the townsfolk had caught wind of my appearance they wouldn''t hesitate to swarm me, eventually I''d be escorted to the palace and have to deal with the entire family fawning over me. The second night was spent in an inn right near the west gate of Prymdor. I was able to get some sleep after asking the barkeeper to shut down early. I awoke in the morning to the same swarm of citizens I had hoped not to meet, but I was luckily able to escape on the carriage, and I made my way through the checkpoint and out of the capital. The third day was spent making our way to Cyndor. That night there was no structure on the road where we could stop to rest, so we set up camp a fair ways off the road so we would not be seen by any individual who prefers to lurk around carriage roads in the night looking for an opportunity to profit from another''s misfortune. That night, I awoke to a full moon and the absence of the child. I immediately called upon my chains and quickly found the child in a nearby ditch. As I was approaching him, I saw a bright pink glow around his figure, I chalked it up to a lack of sleep. He said that he heard a noise near our camp in the night that sent him running in fear, and before he knew it he had fallen into the ditch I found him in. I didn''t care to evaluate whether he was telling the truth or not, I was far too tired.

    The fourth and fifth days went by without any issues. We slept in Cyndor on the fourth night and had arrived at the cottage by the fifth. I had resolved myself to apologize should I ever see Alena again. Regardless of how right I was, if I was even right at all. I immediately made a fool of myself by exploiting her past just for a few short moments of expressing my anger. There is nothing in the world that can measure her loyalty to me over the past thirteen years that we''ve known each other. I liked to tease her about how she would often act so angry during whatever temporary argument we were participating in but be so keen to make amends later on, so how could I make myself a hypocrite when our entire relationship could be rebuilt with just a little bit of honesty?

    I realized when we got to the cottage that I had yet to ask for the kid''s name. Five days on the road and I hadn''t mentioned it once. He was running around the cottage looking through every room, as though it was some new property promised to him as a gift. I stopped him as he came down the stairs.

    "I''ve forgotten to ask this until now, but it''s awfully important that I know your name."

    "Right."

    He was panting from running around the cottage. He took a few seconds to settle his breath before fully answering my question.

    "Koyo, my name is Koyo."

    Well, shit.

    I didn''t know he was alive.

 A Discordant Will

    "Stop shaking the flowers around!"

    "What''s gonna happen, will the flowers become mad at me? Are they gonna grow legs and run away from the garden?"

    "You''re attracting bees! They''ll sting us!"

    "Why are you scared of some little insects? They can''t kill you y''know."

    "Lizaaaaa, they''re going to sting me! Get them away!"

    She ran around the garden while the bees went back to the flowers that were being shaken. One of them stung Liza, but while they were stinging her she pulled the bee out, held it in front of her, and spoke to it like she was a teacher.

    "Don''t do that again, OK?"

    She smiled at the bee as she threw it back towards the flowers.

    "I don''t think the bees can understand us, Liza. Even if they did I think throwing them around wouldn''t make them think that we''re friendly."

    "Mom and Dad always said I could talk to animals. Maybe that''s my greatest power!"

    "Mom and Dad also said that I could talk to plants. The plants are saying they want water so move."

    "So mean! Do those plants mean more to you than your own sister?"

    She made that one face she uses to get an extra cookie from Mom after she''s already gotten two or three. I remember one night she got five out of Mom after nearly breaking into tears, I was extremely upset with her for a while after that.

    "You know, I think you''re right. These plants won''t play with my emotions."

    She blew raspberries at me and then ran away.

    "Don''t cry when you wake up tomorrow and I''m not there!"

    That line was at least kind of funny. Now, back to watering the plants.

    "If you really can hear me Mister Bee I think it''s time for you to move."

    I held my hands across from each other over the flowers. Remember the feeling of water. Remember each part of it, and understand how it felt on your skin. The water in the surrounding air was pulled into the space I had created. The droplets could not immediately be held still, they wanted to move freely, so I found common ground with them. A ball of rotating water appeared between my hands. The memories of the nearby stream flooded my mind. The water raged within my hands, it could only be held like this for so long before I would drench the flowers beneath me. I couldn''t hold the water still, there was no memory that could overtake the one of a raging river within my mind. It would still need to move, however, I could let it escape the hold I had on it in a way that would not be harmful to the flowers. The sounds of rain crashing onto the windows and roof drowned out the noise of the stream. I called on the memory of sleepless nights listening to each individual drop on the window beside my bed. There was peace within the rain, even in the most dangerous of storms the burst of sounds produced by each drop of water served as a comfort The swirling mess within my hands made itself into a light cloud. I held my solution, the result of all my efforts. The cloud gave light rain to the flowers, as I moved across the garden making sure that no single plant was left out. The cloud left me when I had finished my lap around the garden. The sun shined down on the plants, and I saw a beautiful picture.

    I heard Mom walking up behind me, she rested her hand on my head and stopped for a moment to look at the same image I saw.

    "Look at you, already learning how to control the water you take from the air."

    "I was just watering the plants."

    "I think you and I both know why you didn''t use the watering can. It''s perfectly fine to be interested in your affinity, in fact, I''m glad that you''re making an effort now to learn how to control it without a medium."

    "What''s a medium?"

    "You''re better off not learning about that now. Maybe if we send you to Prymdor Academy in the future we''ll tell you all that we know so you aren''t completely lost."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Will the rest of them come with me?"

    Mom let out a sigh, she looked at me as though what I said had made her realize something she didn''t want to think about. Something about her pitying glance made me believe I had said something wrong.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to-"

    "It''s fine. It certainly isn''t your fault that things are, well, the way they are right now. You know that Idrel is still being horrible to herself after she accidentally burned your father."

    "But it''s been three months."

    "Well, the way your father responded certainly didn''t help things. He was always cautious when it came to using his affinity. He would always throw himself in front of others, take the hits that they couldn''t, but it''s hard to recall a time when he threw a punch if that wasn''t his last option."

    "Is he scared of us?"

    "He would never be scared of you honey, he loves each and every one of you dearly. The truth is, he''s scared of himself. He once hurt someone who was very close to him, and I don''t think he ever truly forgave himself, I don''t think he''s even moved passed it in the slightest. It''s not wrong of him to be cautious though, that''s something that I''ve come to agree with him about."

    She knelt down and put her hands on my shoulders.

    "This world is filled with dangers to us. Monsters that will always seek to end our lives, disasters, and storms that will wreak havoc on everything we hold dear, and yet the most harm caused to us has been from our own people."

    "Why would we hurt each other?"

    "To be honest, I don''t know. Some people hurt others so they can live the life they''ve always wanted to. Maybe they will be rewarded for it, and that reward will give them the opportunity to find some happiness. Some other people were raised on the principles of violence."

    "Principles?"

    "They were taught to use it whenever they thought they should. Whenever there was an argument, whenever anything did not go their way, they had the lesson built into them from their childhood that they should respond to every obstacle with whatever they had that could hurt what was stopping them. Even if they didn''t get what they wanted, at least they were able to do something. Anyone who would raise their hand against another human, no, even another peaceful creature is someone who believes that there is some need to do as such. Sometimes there is, our ancestors survived by hunting for their food, the beats would not just walk into their arms."

    "So should I use violence?"

    "I can''t tell you that. As you grow you''ll understand more things about this world, more about everything that is around you. When you become an adult like me and your father you''ll be able to make that decision for yourself. Our role is just to give you anything you could need to make that decision. Your father once thought that he understood what choice he should make, but he changed his mind later. I come from a family that raised me to use violence, but I chose to abandon that tradition so I wouldn''t raise you in a way similar to how I was raised. The point is, with or without your affinity, you''ll one day have to make choices about how you want to treat people, animals, and even the plants that are around you. For now, just focus on whatever you want to do. Enjoy your early years. That''s all I want you to do."

    I nodded at her, and she got up from the ground and went back inside the house. I looked back at the garden, the plants had taken in the water I had given them, and the sun shone brightly on their leaves. Did the sun want to hurt them like we did to each other, or was it just a part of its nature? Do some of the flowers turn towards the sun because they want to take the light given by it, or are they defending themselves? When I watered the plants in my garden was I actually hurting them? I would never understand whether or not what I was doing was harmful, but I''m sure that I should try not to be as much as I possibly can. How could we ever hurt the things that live around us if we don''t need to? The thought of harming my flowers made me sick to my stomach, and I went inside to lie down.

    The night came with no rain, and I lay awake with the noises of the nearby forest preventing me from closing my eyes. I was thinking about all the possible ways that I could hurt those near me, talking to myself about all the things I would do to make sure that nobody around me ever got harmed. Eventually, I ran out of ideas and fell asleep. I woke up to Liza beside me and Elya on top of me. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

    "It''s time for breakfaaaaaast! Mom and Dad told me to come wake you up, the sun rose a while ago!"

    "I can''t get up if you''re on top of me Elya."

    She moved sideways quickly but fell off the bed while doing so. Liza caught her before her head slammed into the floor.

    "Come on, they''re serving the special ''fried egg toast'' they always make when Aunt Alena comes over."

    Aunt Alena was coming? It''d been so long since we''d seen her. I immediately jumped out of my bed and rushed to my closet to get my best set of clothes on. After I was finished I rushed down to the dining room. When I got there the first to see me was Dad, he put down the plate he was preparing and held his arms out in front of me, as I ran towards him he hugged me while lifting me in the air.

    "Slow down there Aryet, where are you going in such a hurry, and this well-dressed too?"

    "I heard Aunt Alena was coming!"

    "Well, how could you possibly know that?"

    "You only ever make this for breakfast when she comes. Why is she coming over?"

    He let me down and I reached for one of the pieces, I have no idea how Dad found this recipe but it was just as tasty every time.

    "We''ll tell you that after she gets here. In fact, I think she should be arriving right now."

    Just as Dad finished that sentence a carriage came in from the pathway near our house, I knew it was her. I rushed out the door to the carriage as fast as I could.

 A Discordant Will (2)

    Liza and Elya were right behind me when I ran to Aunt Alena. She was stepping out of the carriage when we were all screaming her name, dashing towards her for the chance to get our hug first. I was the first to get to her, but instead of only hugging me she waited for the other two to catch up so she could hug all three of us at the same time.

    "You''ve grown so big since I last saw you! Where''s Idrel?"

    "She''s still up in her room. She''s still sad from when she trained with Dad."

    "Is that so? Did he do something to make her upset?"

    "No, he screamed after she burned him though."

    "Liza!"

    "What? It''s just the truth."

    "Well, that''s a shame. I''m sure your father is fine though, he was always known for being sturdy when we were adventurers."

    "Are you gonna tell us another story about adventuring this time?"

    "Sure, but I have to talk with your parents first. Can you girls wait for us to be done?"

    "Yeah. Mom and Dad made the toast with eggs that they know you love, do you want me to save you a slice?"

    "Do I? You better guard that piece of toast with your life."

    "Girls, come back inside and let us talk to our friend."

    We all ran back to the dining room and I grabbed the piece of toast I''d told her I would save. I grabbed a napkin from the table, wrapped the toast in it, and then hid it in one of the cupboards while the others weren''t looking. Liza and Elya went out to the courtyard, and I followed them.

    "When I grow up I''m gonna be just like Aunt Alena! I''ll go adventuring all the time and bring back tons of stories to tell."

    "No I''m gonna be Aunt Alena, you can be Mom, you have the same power as her anyway."

    "Hey that''s not fair, I don''t want to be like Mom, I want to never stop traveling around the world!"

    "None of us are going to be like Aunt Alena when we grow up, we all have powers and she doesn''t."

    "I''ll stop using my powers then, I''ll just forget they exist!"

    "That''s stupid."

    "You''re stupid!"

    She blew raspberries at me again and ran away with Elya into the hedges. I followed them and we ran around the courtyard until the sun was right above us. Elya had gotten tired out but Liza was teasing her about being weak so I stepped in and brought her back inside the house. I got her a glass of water when Liza walked through the door.

    "You''re both lame, just a little running around and you already start gasping for air."

    "Quit it, Liza, not everyone is the same as you."

    "Obviously not, but I think she should be able to run for longer."

    "Well then you can tell her that, but I don''t think making fun of her will help."

    "Whatever, didn''t know you were so soft."

    She went to get a glass of water but the barrel was empty.

    "Ugh, I have to go tell Mom that we need more water."

    "Mom and Dad are with Aunt Alena right now, you shouldn''t talk to them right now."

    "Hey I just had a great idea, what if we go listen to them through the door? I saw that they were in the big room when we were outside."

    "We would get in so much trouble."

    "I want to do it."

    It was now two-to-one, so I was forced to agree with whatever they were doing. We snuck over to the big room making sure to not step on any of the wood that would make a noise. When we got over there we all slowly put our ears up to the door trying to hear whatever was being said. Just as we had gotten in place, Idrel came down from the stairs. We all signed at her to stay quiet, and she slowly walked over and put her ear against the door as well. When she got over behind me and leaned her head against the door Liza was right over Elya when she tripped and fell onto her.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Ow! Elya you need to stand still!"

    "I was standing still!"

    They were arguing with each other while trying to stay as quiet as possible, but I don''t think it helped at all.

    "Girls, you know we can hear you right?"

    We all froze immediately, and we heard Dad coming over to open the door. I was prepared to spend the whole day in my room since that was probably what he would make us do.

    "Come on, let them feel like they''re uncovering some secret information. It''s not like they''re hurting each other. What I''m talking to you about concerns them anyway."

    We all heard Dad walk away from the door and sit back down.

    "Listen, over the past eight years, I''ve set aside some of our earnings from each and every quest we did in the hopes of saving up enough to achieve a lifelong dream of mine. Back when I was a little girl in Myriel I remembered being driven to tears when I had finally gotten accepted into the national academy and I wasn''t able to learn anything new. From that day I decided that I would make an academy myself, one that was able to give new knowledge that couldn''t be found anywhere else. About a year ago I finally got the amount of Melus I needed for this, and I decided that I wanted our old party to be included in this opportunity, should they so please. For you two specifically there are three things that I am asking of you two. The first is if you would both like to be professors for the academy. I don''t have a full list of everyone who''s agreed to help, but I''m sure even if all of our party came back together we could all find our own subject to teach, or at the least we would each have a position. The second thing that I am asking is if you''d like to join me in finding students who will greatly improve at the academy. These don''t have to be people you know, if you ever find a kid who you think shows some good potential just send a letter to my house and I''ll talk to whoever watches over them about it. The third, and this is a big ask, is if you would like to volunteer your own children as possible students in the future. I''ve seen or heard about certain occasions that make them out to be very promising future mages. I understand that Aryet has been practicing manifesting her affinity without a medium for about a month now."

    "You''ve been WHAT?"

    Liza spoke way too loud.

    "Hey, girls, I told them to let you stay but I can''t stand by that if you interrupt us, OK?"

    We all replied at the same time with mumbling.

    "I think that they could even go out and be adventurers like we once were, maybe they could even be better than we were, they would be more prepared for whatever came next than we ever were."

    Nobody said anything for a bit, it felt like Mom and Dad were thinking about what to do, but they wouldn''t take this long to give an answer normally. Was there a problem with something that Aunt Alena said?

    "So you say that you wanted to offer this opportunity to everyone from our old party, right?"

    "I already know what you''re going to ask me about Reindt."

    "Am I wrong for asking about it? You know exactly why we refused to be around him any longer, and if you want me to work with him you''d have to force me into submission first."

    "I haven''t asked him about whether he wants to include himself yet, I haven''t even talked to him about this at all. I understand that you didn''t like him back then."

    "Back then? I still look back at every moment we shared and all I see is someone who lets his ego decide his every move. You could wait until I''m under the ground and I''d still profess my hate for him on my tombstone. I don''t ever want to see his face, much less have him near my kids."

    "Come on Reindt, it''s been two years. You don''t think that he''s done some reflection since we fell apart? Do you really believe that he is unable to change?"

    "No amount of change means that I have to forgive him for what he did."

    "He helped you and Alice get together."

    "Yeah and before he was basically forced to accept that we actually liked each other he was constantly trying to sow conflict between us. It is unbelievably lucky that Alice actually found me throwing myself in front of her battling Chidles romantic because if someone ever did that to me I''d think they were belittling me, going to some length to say that I can''t defend myself. I know you would as well."

    "He could''ve just known Alice well enough to believe his advice would work."

    "Oh please, nobody knew a single thing about Alice in terms of what she did and didn''t like, and she was obsessed with combat, with being on the frontlines for every quest, who would assume that person with those interests would want to be defended?"

    "Listen it''s no use fighting about this now, he hasn''t said yes or no, he doesn''t know a single thing about this. At the least promise me that you will be open to talking with me more about this should he say yes."

    "Fine, but I will not promise any change of heart."

    "Nor would I ask you to. Alice, what''s your say on this? You''ve been silent the whole time."

    From what I heard, Mom started to violently cough, and I heard her body hit the floor."

    "Alice? Alice!"

    "She''s coughing up blood, we need to get her to the capital quick, I know a good healer there."

    "Kids, move away from the door!"

    We all quickly backed away as Dad held Mom in his arms and rushed out of the room.

    "Get her in the carriage, I''ll take her to the healer! You need to stay with your children!"

    "I know that!"

    Dad ran ahead with Mom, and I saw him pull the carriage door open so hard he nearly tore it off. Just as he had closed the carriage doors after placing Mom in there next to Aunt Alena the person controlling the horses moved the ropes up and down as fast as he could. The carriage quickly left as Dad ran back to all of us.

    "It''ll be alright."

    He was panting so loud I nearly couldn''t hear what he was saying.

    "Your mother is just a little sick, that''s all. It''ll be alright."

    He pulled us all close to him and gave us a hug, but it was like he was forcing us together and it hurt us all. It didn''t seem like he was hugging us so we would be alright, and it didn''t seem like he was telling us it''d be okay either. He was the one who needed the hug, he was the one who needed to believe that everything would turn out fine.

 A Discordant Will (3)

    A month passed before we were able to see Mom again. Every day we would wake up and have our meals already made for us in the kitchen, we would eat them in silence and then go back to our rooms. We were scared of Dad, we had never heard him scream like that before, and we had never seen him act that way. The day after Mom had left, Dad began to clean the big room. I was able to see it for a little bit after Dad kicked the doors open when he was carrying Mom to Aunt Alena''s carriage, and the pure white Cryosula-fur carpet was almost painted entirely red with blood. Dad would be in that room the entire day trying to clean the carpet, he brought every single thing that could be used as a napkin with him to the room and a bucket of water as well. I woke up one night to the sounds of crying, and as I went down the stairs to see where the noise was coming from I saw Dad sitting in his chair with his head in his hands. The carpet was nowhere near clean, and it looked like he had actually made it worse. Tears fell from his eyes onto the carpet, and he didn''t even notice that I was standing there looking at him. I could barely make out what he was saying, he must have been talking to himself.

    "What did I do wrong? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

    I had never heard him speak like this, his voice sounded like a dog whining for food or attention, he hit himself in the head a couple of times and burst into tears again. I silently made my way back up the stairs and onto my bed only to find that Liza was up as well. We looked at each other for a few seconds but we both knew what the other meant without saying a single word. We went back to our rooms and I covered myself as tightly as I could under my covers. Eventually, I couldn''t hear Dad crying anymore and I fell asleep.

    Dad had eventually finished cleaning the carpet fully, and for the next week, he waited by the kitchen window looking outside for anyone who had brought letters from the capital. Every single day, when he was not making us food he was sitting either by the window or in a chair right outside in the front lawn. The night before Dad finally got a letter back I was staying up late talking with Liza in the hallway between our rooms about what we would do when we saw Mom again. I said that I would just pop in to say hello but let her rest, Liza really wanted to give her a hug. We heard Dad coming up the stairs and ran back into our rooms. I tried to make it look like I had been sleeping for a while by messing with my covers and then jumped onto my bed, pulling the covers over me. I laid still for as long as I could, but ended up falling asleep anyways.

    I fell straight into a dream, one where I was back in the garden outside with Mom. I was walking with her as she was talking to me, I couldn''t hear what she was saying. We must have walked around the garden twenty times before we finally stopped. Mom leaned down with her hands on my shoulders and I could finally hear what she was saying.

    "Listen, your Father just reacted poorly, there''s no need to be upset about it. Some people in this world choose to reject their powers and when they see other people use them and use them well, it upsets them. Your father is one of those people who can''t stand to see others succeed, he''s always been hung up over the several times he''s failed."

    What was she saying? Dad has never failed, he never got mad at me when I did something right. I couldn''t see her face but this person didn''t feel like Mom. Her hands felt cold on my shoulders and every part of me wanted to run away from her. I tried to move as much as I could, but not a single thing happened, we just stood still. I couldn''t see her face well either, it was like I was looking at the ground.

    "Listen, we have to kill your father, okay? That''s the only way we''ll ever bring this family to where it belongs."

    What? Why would we ever hurt Dad? Why would we ever hurt anyone? Get away from me!

    Those were the words I wanted to say, and yet not a single sound came from my mouth. I felt myself nod at this person who was telling me to hurt my own father.

    "Good girl. You always understood this world better than your sisters."

    I could finally see this person''s face clearly. She looked like Mom but her eyes were entirely black, and she had a smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other. She looked at me for what felt like ages. I started to feel her hands tightening around me after she moved them to my arms from my shoulders. It felt like she was trying to crush me in between her arms. I looked back at her face and she was bleeding from her eyes, her entire face was stained with red and it spilled onto the ground below us. She squeezed me tighter between her arms as I tried to scream for help. I tried to make any noise or move at all as this monster formed in front of me.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Now, let''s get back to training."

    Several hands reached up from the ground where a puddle of blood was. They were dragging me down below the dirt. I screamed as loud as I could until I could no longer speak, but nothing happened. I couldn''t see anything after the hands had fully dragged me under, it was just me in the dark, alone. When I could see again, I was in some sort of arena. Just before I woke up, I saw my Mom again. She didn''t have the same creepy smile or the black eyes. Her right hand was on my head, and she said something inaudible before I saw a bright flash. Just then, my head burst into pain. It felt like I was being hit a thousand times throughout my body, I forced my eyes open to see the stranger once more, smiling at me while she was trying to kill me. I awoke the next morning with Idrel standing beside me.

    "We''re going to see Mom, Dad told me to come get you."

    I got up and rushed to my closet. I got the same outfit that I wore when Aunt Alena came over.

    I rushed down to the kitchen, breakfast was already made. I grabbed two slices of cheese and some grapes and ran to the carriage. Idrel was right behind me, with Liza and Elya already inside the carriage and Dad up in the front with the coachman.

    We rode the entire day to the capital and just made it through the gates before they were closed for the night. We stayed at a very nice inn overnight, and I remember the smell of beer getting into my room making me feel like I was drunk. Liza was banging on my door acting like she was drunk, making herself sound weird.

    "Pleeaaaseee help me out Aryeet! I need some waaater!"

    She added in the rare forced burp to try and make me believe her.

    The next morning we made our way to the house where Mom was being kept. Dad stopped us all right before we went inside the room and he got on his knees so he could be at our height.

    "Listen, Mom is very sick right now so she may not seem like herself, but no matter what you see just remember that she loves you all very much, and once she gets better you''ll never see her like this again."

    We all nodded except for Idrel who looked away from Dad.

    As we went into the room we saw a dark figure on a bed hidden behind curtains with people walking in and out of them. Dad was the first to walk over and enter the area with the dark figure.

    "Hey, Alice."

    "Reindt, you came. How long has it been?"

    "It''s been about a month."

    "Gods, are you alright? Are the kids okay? It must be hard for them, to spend a month without me after seeing me like that. Did you manage to get the carpet cleaned?"

    "It took a bit, but yeah, I did. The kids are doing alright, they haven''t been skipping out on any of their meals. Actually, they''re going to be doing a lot better now that they''ve been able to see that you''re alright."

    "What?"

    "Girls, come on in and say hi to your mother."

    We all walked through the curtains and saw Mom at the same time. Most of her body was under two layers of blankets but from what I could see she looked like a skeleton with dead skin all over it. Elya turned away and ran out of the curtains, Liza went chasing after her.

    "Elya come back! It''s just Mom!"

    She looked at us as if she was scared of what we might say, I could see her shaking, but then she quickly turned to Dad and I saw all the fear in her eyes be replaced with anger. She immediately started screaming at him.

    "Reindt, I specifically told you to not bring them here! You knew I didn''t want them to see me like this!"

    "You''re really going to start this again now? They''re your kids Alice, I struggled to even keep them from asking about you for a single day. Every single morning they would see me either sitting by the window or in the living room cleaning the carpet and ask if I knew anything about you, and every day I had to tell them that I didn''t know when they''d see you again."

    "They''re young, they''ll forget all about this in a couple of years!"

    "They''re young, so they shouldn''t have to go without a parent any longer than they have to."

    "Well I told you that they have to wait longer, do I mean nothing to you anymore? Elya ran out of the room the moment she saw me!"

    "She''s just surprised Alice, I would be too if I were her age. It''s better that they accept that being sick, that being like this and still making it through is a part of life! Weren''t you the one who was telling me all about the great people they would become? Didn''t you want them to learn the lessons that we never did early on so they would have a chance at the best life we could give them?"

    "I never learned the life lesson of ''you should see your mother when she looks like a corpse''!"

    "Well then maybe that explains parts of you that I haven''t understood up until now."

    "GET OUT!"

    She screamed so loud that people from the house immediately came running in to check on her. Dad rushed us out of the room while she screamed at anyone who was near her.

    I had never heard Mom talk like that.

 A Discordant Will (4)

    Liza was scolding Elya for running away from Mom, calling her rude, and saying that she hurt Mom''s feelings. I came over and told her to get away from Elya, I couldn''t tell if she was trying to help Elya or make her worse. After Liza had rolled her eyes at me and gone over to where Idrel was sitting. I sat down next to Elya, she was close to crying and I glared at Liza as she walked away. I pulled Elya in for a hug but she moved away from my arms. I didn''t think that seeing Mom like that would have such a large effect on her. Her voice was shaky and I could hear her struggling to breathe, every single time she tried to calm herself she was interrupted by sobbing. She was shivering, she sat in the position in her chair that Mom had taught us to use when there were people who we didn''t know over at our house, but she couldn''t stay still. She was violently shaking.

    "Why did Mom look like that?"

    She struggled through tears to get a single word out.

    "She''s sick, Elya."

    "But she didn''t just look sick! She looked like she was dying!"

    Was that it? Did she freak out when she saw Mom because she thought Mom would die? I would be scared too, but Dad told her several times that Mom was getting better before we saw her. Why would she suddenly change her mind just because of what she saw? It''s not like she was looking at a literal skeleton.

    "You know she''s getting better though, right? That''s what Dad said, why would he lie to us?"

    "Why would he tell us if Mom was dying?"

    That was a good point. Dad is a good person, but a good person would never tell their kids that someone they love would die. She spoke up again as her tears stopped for a moment.

    "You heard that Mom was mad at Dad for bringing us here, but Dad really wanted us to see her. What if Dad really wanted us here because it''s the last time we would see Mom?"

    "No, that''s not it. After you ran out of the room they had a fight, but in that fight, Dad said that if he had not brought us now, we would see Mom again in a while. Maybe we don''t know when we would have seen Mom again, but Dad spoke like we would. Listen you have to trust me, what are we going to do if we just think that Mom is going to die? Do you really want to spend the next few months being so worried that you can''t sleep?"

    Her tears came back and as she started to speak again her voice became shaky. I had never seen her scared like this, I had never seen her be so emotional. We''ve had incidents in the past, but even when Idrel nearly burned Dad''s arm off, Elya just stood there like she didn''t understand what had happened.

    "It''s not just that. I had a nightmare a few days ago where Mom looked like she does now. I was back in the big room and sitting on the couch and Mom was talking to me, but she looked weird, she looked like she was dying. She was talking to me about how Dad was stupid, and how she was happy that I wasn''t like the rest of my sisters. She asked me if I would be fine hurting you if she asked me to."

    "Hurting me? Like just me?"

    "Yeah, she said that you were the worst out of all of us. After she asked me if I would hurt you, I said that I would never, but then Mom got angry. The last thing she did before I woke up was walk behind me, and I felt like I would explode from the inside."

    I didn''t have the same dream as Elya, but I understood what she was talking about when she described the pain she felt. It was the same one I had at the end of my dream two nights ago.

    Elya burst into tears after describing her nightmare, and I pulled her in for a hug a second time. This time she didn''t move away, and as she put her head on my chest her tears started to stain my shirt. I didn''t dare move back, or do anything at all, she needed this more than I needed my best outfit clean.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    An hour passed and all of us had fallen asleep. I woke up to Elya resting on my shoulder and I looked over and saw Liza lying down on top of Idrel. I slowly pushed Elya off of me, moving her back to the seat she was in before we fell asleep. I made sure that I didn''t wake her up, she needed to sleep anyway. Nobody should ever have to be upset and awake. I heard voices coming from inside the room where Mom was, and I made my way over to the door to try and understand what they were saying. As I put my ear up to the door I could hear Dad and Mom speaking, though I only caught a few sentences.

    "Who did this to you?"

    "I don''t know, all I can remember is that when I left my family after I came of age they said that the lessons they had given me would never go away. I didn''t think that they''d literally put a curse on me. At least, if they did I thought it would be some metaphor."

    "How long did they say until we can take you home?"

    "They said about three months."

    "Alright. In the meantime, we''ll stay here in the capital. I have a large amount of Melus on me so we''ll be fine to stay here. Before we left I gave the courier a large amount of coin and told him to hire someone to make sure nobody breaks into our house. I''ll send him a letter with more Melus to give whoever he hired."

    "Why are you staying here?"

    "They''ve already seen you, Alice. At the least, I want them to be here so they can see you again if they want to."

    "They know that I''ll get better, right?"

    "Of course they do. There also isn''t much to do back at the palace, I''d rather we be somewhere we can do something new every day. I''ll go insane if I''m just waiting on news about you back there anyway."

    "Alright, we can never tell them about this, the reason behind why I''m sick at least. I don''t want any more surprises over the next few months. Especially Idrel, you know that she''s-"

    Just then I heard the footsteps of one of the people taking care of Mom behind me.

    "Well, aren''t you a nosy one?"

    I quickly turned around and stood up, I looked at her and tried to copy the face that Liza would always make whenever she wanted something from Mom or Dad. I tried my hardest to open my eyes wide and stick my bottom lip out.

    "That won''t work on me, honey. I''ve seen far too many kids get away with stupid things because the adults were too caught up in their emotions to punish them."

    What was she going to do? Was she going to walk in there and tell Mom and Dad about how I was listening to their conversation that they never wanted us to hear? What would they do if she did? Would they ground me, send me back to the house? Would they never trust me again, and start to leave me out of things that the rest of the family did? My fears were only rising as I waited for a response from this person who was staring at me with a smile that lasted so long it made me feel uncomfortable.

    "Listen, I''m not usually a fan of this but you look like a good kid. You seem like someone who understands what they should and shouldn''t do, plus, I would be curious too if my Mom had suddenly fallen ill. Eavesdropping on conversations is never the right choice. When people don''t want you to know something, they''re hiding it from you for a reason. Even if that reason is poor, even if that reason makes no sense to you, it means something to them. When you look past that, you look past what they want, what they feel. You need to think more often about whether what you do is worth the pain it could cause others."

    I could barely understand what she was saying. Why would my own parents want to hide something from me about why they aren''t fully well? If I hadn''t listened to their conversation, would I ever know a single thing about why Mom got sick? How could this person just tell me to not put a single thought into my actions?

    "I can see that you''re mulling it over. All I''ve got to say to you is that you need to be careful. One day you''ll look past what other people want far too often, and you''ll realize that you hurt yourself more than you hurt them by doing that."

    I looked at her and nodded, and then I went back to my seat. She opened the doors and went inside to where Mom and Dad were. Before she closed the door, I heard one sentence that she said.

    "So, who do you want us to call to get rid of this curse?"

    I waited outside the room for what felt like hours, and as I was about to fall asleep again Dad came out and woke the rest of them up one by one. Idrel was clearly in pain from Liza sleeping on her, but she didn''t say a single word. None of us did. Dad made a face that we all had never seen before. He looked as though he wanted to kill the nearest person to him, no, rather that he had someone he wanted to kill but that he couldn''t get to. He took us back to the inn where we were staying, and we all went straight to our rooms and onto our beds.

    The next few months were spent with new activities every day, some days we would visit the Grand Library looking to read new books while putting back the ones we had already torn through. We visited the Arena often to see fights, though Dad would often sit down and not react at all even when the fights caused the entire Arena to scream with excitement. While we were all enjoying our time in the Capital it seemed like Dad was just waiting until he was able to do something he wanted, something that he couldn''t do while Mom was still sick.

    Our three months in Prymdor quickly came to an end, and the day that we would finally take Mom home arrived.

 A Discordant Will (5)

    I wasn''t the first to wake up on the day that we were going to take Mom home. Shortly after I got out of my bed, Dad opened the door to check on me and Elya and saw me opening the window. He had dark circles under his eyes, how little had he been sleeping while we were here? What was there for him to do besides sleep? He clearly didn''t enjoy whatever activities we had planned for every day just to kill some time.

    "Make sure you don''t wake up Elya."

    I nodded in response.

    The next hours after sunrise were spent cleaning up the rooms that we had stayed in for the past three months. I finished early and asked Dad if I could take a walk nearby.

    "Get back here in about an hour. That''s when we''ll be going to pick up Mom."

    I nodded at him and went for the door, but he spoke again before I opened it.

    "Hey, Aryet."

    "Yeah?"

    "I''m going to be away for a while after we go back to the House. I need to find some... medication for Mom. The cursificier that we hired was able to help Mom, but she''s still very sick. I need you to take care of your sisters while I''m gone. Mom will be there, but she''s not going to be the same as she was, at least not until she''s fully healed. For however long I''m away, I need you to be there for Elya, Liza, and Idrel, especially Idrel. I know that she still hasn''t been coming out of her room often. Can you promise me that you''ll help them if they need it?"

    I nodded at him.

    "I just need you to say yes."

    "Yes, I promise."

    He gave me a smile in return, but it didn''t seem like he was happy.

    I walked around the east of Prymdor, going through various markets and crowded streets, eventually to a large road that cut right through the middle of the city. This road led straight from the palace to the north exit gate where we had come in. Just as I was about to cross the road I felt a hand on my shoulder and I was pulled back. I looked behind me to find a guard who looked very angry with me.

    "Don''t go into the road while the royal carriage and its guards are passing through!"

    Royal carriage? What royal carriage? I heard the sounds of trumpets from the palace and saw hundreds of other people lined up at the side of the road. All of them were cheering for the carriage that was passing by, I couldn''t see who was inside it. The hand on my shoulder pulled me back once more when I tried to get a closer look at the carriage coming by.

    "Hey! What did I just say? If you go in front of the carriage again I''ll take you to the nearest prison and you''ll have to stay there until we find your parents! Do you understand?"

    I nodded at him.

    After he had let me go the carriage was already near me. I looked inside the carriage as it went by and I could not see anything at first, but then I saw eyes peeking over the windows on the doors of the carriage. They were looking right at me, and I stared back as the carriage passed by. The person I was looking at disappeared, but then the carriage stopped. The carriage doors opened and a boy about my size stepped out. The sounds of all the people on the side of the road couldn''t be heard over the trumpets, and soldiers repeating a phrase that I only was able to hear once.

    "All hail the Prince of Melantia! All hail the future King!"

    The boy that stepped out ran over to me, with many guards right behind him. There was a man in robes following him saying something that I couldn''t hear well until he got over here.

    "Your majesty, this is a random girl, you could be hurt! Please get back in the carriage."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    A large man got out of the carriage after him, and the chants of the soldiers around me changed.

    "All hail the King of Melantia! All hail his majesty!"

    I was so distracted by this large man that I didn''t notice the boy right in front of me.

    "Hey, are you listening?"

    "What? Sorry, it''s so loud."

    "I''ll fix that."

    He ran over to the man behind him and spoke to him. That man then screamed as loud as he could.

    "QUIET!"

    Every single noise around the road had stopped, even those who were on the street behind me stopped what they were doing to look at the Man who had just screamed. The only time I had heard someone nearly as loud was when Mom and Dad were fighting back when we saw her when she was sick, but even then it didn''t sound the same. He was powerful, everyone looked at him, and I didn''t know whether to be afraid of him or whether to be excited that I was able to meet him.

    The boy ran back over to me, and this time I was able to hear what he was saying.

    "Hey, do you want to see a cool trick of mine?"

    "Sure?"

    "I have this coin here, and I think that I can tell you what side it will land on every time."

    "There''s no way you can do that."

    "Really? How about this, if I don''t tell you what side it will land on correctly ten times in a row, I''ll give you a thousand Melus."

    Several people started talking quietly behind me, I couldn''t hear what all of them were saying but they were clearly surprised that this boy was offering me so much money.

    "What if you do say the side it will land on correctly ten times? What do I have to do."

    "You have to come with me in my carriage."

    "Alright, deal."

    There was no way he could predict a coin flip ten times in a row, I hadn''t seen anybody even do it twice in a row. He made his first flip.

    "Tails"

    The coin landed on tails. He flipped it again.

    "Heads."

    The coin landed on heads. Lucky guess, he wouldn''t make it much farther though. He flipped the coin again.

    "Tails."

    The coin landed tails. Alright so maybe luck is on his side today, ten times in a row is still a lot, I didn''t have anything to worry about. He flipped the coin for a fourth time.

    "Tails"

    The coin landed on tails. Four times, I still had six more chances to win. He flipped the coin another time.

    "Tails."

    He predicted it correctly again. Three tails in a row and he got it right. Was he actually going to get to ten? I just agreed with what he was saying because he said he would give me a ton of money. What would I do if I had to go with him? He flipped the coin for a sixth time.

    "Tails."

    That''s another one correct. I can''t just go with him now, I have to get back to Mom. Where is he going to take me? He can''t just keep me away from my family forever, right? He doesn''t even know who my family is, how will he ever get me back to them? Seventh time.

    "Heads."

    Does he plan on getting me back to them? Was I betting away my entire life to him if I were to lose? Is this some sort of rigged coin? How is he guessing it correctly every time? If I knew he had some sort of vision into the future I would''ve never agreed to go with him forever. When did I agree to go with him forever? Eighth.

    "Tails."

    Is this my new life happening right in front of my eyes? Maybe being in the royal family wouldn''t be so bad, I could escape worrying about my future. I wouldn''t have to constantly check on Idrel or stop Liza from being mean to Elya. But Dad asked me to take care of them, I can''t just leave that all behind! Nine.

    "Tails."

    Please get the next one wrong, please say that you were lying about taking me with you. I have a family to get back to, I can''t be spending the rest of my life with some boy that I just met! Please, just whatever you do, find some way to not force me away from them! I don''t want to leave them all behind! Ten!

    "Tails."

    That was it. My life was now over. If I tried to run away he''d probably send the guards to chase after me, and I''d be forced to stay with him. He didn''t look extremely happy, like he had just gotten some miracle, but he just grinned at me, like he expected it to turn out this way.

    "Alright, let''s go to the carriage."

    As he turned around the man who now seemed even larger than before was right behind him.

    "Searle, you can''t just take this little girl with you. Think of something else."

    The boy looked at the man behind him the same way that Liza would look at Mom and Dad when she wanted something. The man did not say anything, he simply stood still looking back at the boy until he turned back to me. He walked up to me and he whispered in my ear.

    "I wasn''t actually going to take you with me. I wanted to see something happen."

    "What?"

    "You looked like you were trying to run away from something, or someone. Do you still want to run away from them now?"

    I didn''t, I wanted anything but to be taken away from them.

    "No."

    He backed away and I saw that he still had the same grin on his face. I''m sure he was very happy that whatever experiment he was doing was a success.

    "Alright, I won''t force you to come with me, but in return, you need to remember my name until the next time we meet."

    "What''s your name."

    "Searle Windheim the Second. You got all that?"

    His grin changed into a smile, and it was comforting. When was the last time somebody had just smiled at me without any meaning behind it, without giving me any reason to think that they weren''t truly happy? It felt nice to look at his smile, and I felt that I was smiling back.

    I nodded at him.

 A Discordant Will (6)

    I heard bells ringing all around me, a new hour had come and I needed to get back to the in where I was staying. I immediately turned around and started running back the way that I came. Before I could get too far though I felt someone pull on my arm, it was Searle again. I turned around to see what he wanted.

    "Where are you going?"

    "I need to get back to my family. I''ll see you next time, Searle."

    "When will ''next time'' be?"

    "I don''t know, but I''m sure that we''ll see each other again."

    I pulled away from his arm and tried to continue running.

    "Hey, wait."

    He pulled on my arm again.

    "You never told me your name."

    "Aryet, my name is Aryet Grynden."

    "Aryet Grynden, alright. I''ll see you next time Aryet."

    "See you, Searle."

    He let go of my arm and I started running again, going back through the markets and crowds of people though they got out of the way when they I saw I was running towards them. By the time I got to the inn I was out of breath, I had to take a moment to lean on the wall so I wouldn''t fall down. After I was able to breathe again I made my way back to the rooms where we were staying. Dad was standing by the door when I walked in.

    "Right on time. Did you enjoy your walk?"

    "Yeah."

    "Your sisters are all ready, do you have anything else that you left in your room, under your bed, maybe just around the inn?"

    "No."

    "Alright. Let''s get going."

    We got into our carriage and went back to the place where Mom was staying. When we saw her again, she was nothing like what we saw a few months ago. She seemed a bit more like herself, except she clearly was in pain. Her face was more white than usual, I could see sweat all over her face. When we got back to the carriage, there wasn''t enough space for Mom to lie down and for all four of us to be in the carriage.

    "Would one of you please volunteer to sit on the back of the carriage?"

    I raised my hand.

    "Thank you, Aryet."

    We rode on a very bumpy path for a while, and I started to regret choosing to sit in the back. Every time we would go over a hole or bump that was slightly bigger than normal the carriage felt like it was trying to destroy my back. Eventually, we got on to the main path, and the constant bumps and holes were replaced by the sound of wheels riding over gravel. We spent the rest of the day riding back to our house. If the other three were talking at all I definitely couldn''t hear them, I hoped that Elya was not being picked on again by Liza. I got the chance to see the wildlife of Melantia on our trip. Birds the size of our carriage flew above, only coming down to attack whatever animal it could fit in its beak. The animals themselves were running as fast as they could whenever they were in an open field, and I even saw one of them push another into the beak of a bird flying down, only to get eaten in the next second. Why would you do that to someone of your own species? It didn''t even mean anything in the end, but why not either escape together or die together? Why would you let someone die just so you can live, no, just so you can have a chance at living? Eventually, I heard a loud noise from the front of the carriage, and the birds I was watching all flew away. The rest of the ride was spent just listening to the wheels roll over the gravel, and I eventually stopped focusing and just let the day pass by. The sun was setting by the time we got back to the house, and I went to open the carriage doors.

    I opened the door to see Liza, Elya, and Idrel all sitting up looking at Mom, and Mom herself looked like she was telling them something before I opened the door.

    "Were you guys talking about something?"

    "Yeah, Mom was just telling us that we need to make food for ourselves tonight so she can rest."

    All three of them got out of the carriage one by one, and Dad was right behind me when I was holding my hand out to help Mom get out of the carriage without hurting herself. He put his hand on my shoulder.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Go inside, Aryet. I''ll help Mom get out of the carriage."

    I chased after the other three and went into the house. It had been so long since I ran around the house, we made our way to the courtyard and started playing tag. Idrel was playing with us, which was a big surprise. How long had it been since Idrel stayed outside of her room when she didn''t have to? How long had it been since she seemed like she wanted to be around us? These questions didn''t matter now that she was actually here, and I thought that maybe when Mom gets better we''ll be back to how things were before she burnt Dad. We''ll continue with our lives, maybe become adventurers, maybe we''ll go to an academy, but whatever happens, we''ll always be close. We ran around the courtyard until we were all out of breath. The sun had been down for a while, so we all went back inside and chose what to eat from the kitchen.

    By the time we had gotten inside, Dad had already left. Mom gave us each notes that he wrote for us and then we all went to our rooms. The letters he sent to Liza, Elya, and Idrel were all very long, but mine barely reached half of the page.

    Dear Aryet,

    I will be gone for a long time, and as I said this morning I need you to be there for your sisters. I know that you''ll be a pillar for them, you always have been, and I know that when the time comes to choose between yourself and them, you''ll always choose them. I need you to remember that even if I''m halfway across the country, I''ll always be there with you. Whether I''m helping you in stopping Liza from teasing Elya or helping you make Idrel forgive herself for burning me. You are all my pride and joy, and you are the closest to becoming the adult that your Mother and I always wished you all would be. Stay strong, but most importantly, make sure that you stay true to yourself.

    Love from any place on this world,

    Dad

    I folded the letter up and put it on the floor right next to my bed, I''d read it again tomorrow, and maybe the day after that, but right now I was too tired to miss Dad. I jumped onto my bed and immediately fell asleep. It was so comfortable, so much better than the beds at the inn that made me feel like I was better off sleeping on the floor.

    I was woken up in the middle of the night with my three sisters and Mom standing over my bed.

    "Get up, Aryet. We need to talk."

    I stood up from my bed and followed them out of the room. It was midnight and cloudy, so I couldn''t see anything around me and I had to reach my arms out in front of me so I wouldn''t run into a wall. Eventually, we came by a candle which Mom used to light the rest of the way down the stairs. We made our way into the big room and Mom pointed to the couch. She pulled her chair so it would be across from the middle seat of the couch, and we all sat closely so we could all fit.

    "What I am about to talk to you about is something serious, and I want you to treat it as something serious. At no point during this conversation am I joking, and everything I say is true. Do you all understand?"

    We all nodded.

    "My sickness has made me realize something, something about the way that we''ve been treating you. Before, I thought that everything about our lives was perfect, and as such there was no reason to ever make you believe they weren''t. We didn''t teach you about the faults of this world, we didn''t ever teach you the things that we were taught as children because we believed that nothing would ever happen to you."

    She looked at me, Liza, and Idrel one by one.

    "Three of you have been training your affinities in your own way, and this is something that I am quite proud of. Even when we told you that the world was perfect, each one of you, maybe for separate reasons, knew that the world could not be perfect, and so you changed yourselves to accommodate this realization."

    She looked at Elya.

    "The other one of you still believes that the world is nothing but endless sunshine, but that is not your fault. We have wanted you to believe that, we''ve tried our hardest to fool you, but what you saw on the day you came to visit me was surely proof that we were lying."

    She looked back at Idrel.

    "Before I got sick, you were all told that the reason Idrel was never seen around the house was because she was upset that she had hurt your father, this was the truth and a lie. Idrel was upset when she hurt your father because she could not control her affinity, but she was not weeping in her room for months because of this. The day after the incident happened, I told Idrel that I could help her never hurt anyone who she didn''t want to with her affinity again, and from there I helped her understand not only more about that affinity, but about herself."

    She paused before continuing.

    "This is what I want to do for each of you. You have now seen that the world is not great enough for you to not understand every part of yourself, you have now seen that this world urges you to take advantage of the gifts you have been given. Do you all understand what you must do now?"

    Liza was the first to nod at Mom, she then looked at me and Elya. I nodded at her, there wasn''t a reason not to. I was already practicing with my powers on my own, and if Mom were to help me then I''d definitely get a lot better with them. If I can control water better, then I can definitely do more to help things that are hurting, to fix things that need to be fixed. After I nodded, Mom stared at Elya. Elya wasn''t looking back at her, she was looking at the floor, with her hands balled up on her lap.

    "Sorry Elya, the rest of your siblings want to get better, so at the least, you have to come with us."

    Mom got up from her seat, and she looked at us, probably expecting us to follow her. We all got up from the couch, and Elya was the last to stand up. Mom led us around the house to Dad''s research room, and Mom pulled on one of the books on the bookcase. The bookcase swung open like a door, and behind it was a large staircase. We went down the stairs for what felt like a while until we finally reached the bottom. When we got there, I couldn''t see anything until Mom pulled a lever that was at her left. There were torches, or in some places what looked like whole bonfires that lit up to let us see what was in front of us, when the entire area was lit up, I felt the strongest sense of Deja Vu.

    The area in front of me was the same arena I had seen in my dream.

    "Let''s get started, shall we?"

 A Discordant Will (7)

    The first thing that Mom had us do was ask me and Idrel to use the powers that we had so that Liza could copy us. Elya walked off to the side and sat near one of the torches on the wall watching us as we practiced. Idrel immediately was able to hold a fire between her hands, while I was not able to get a single drop of water. Mom came up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders.

    "Aryet."

    "Yes?"

    "How do you usually activate your affinity?"

    "I think of things that remind me of water."

    "What are those things?"

    "The river near our house, the rain."

    "Alright, let''s try this. Close your eyes and focus on two things, my voice, and the sound of fire burning the wood around you. Focus on every part of the fire, the flame, the sounds of the burning wood, every crackle, every single noise, I want you to separate them and focus on them individually."

    Everything around me was quiet except for the fire. I heard the flame go between loud and soft, I heard other noises that I couldn''t understand, they happened at random times and they happened quickly. I focused on the flame, sometimes it was very loud, so loud that it made an echo, other times I had to focus just to hear half of it.

    "What sound are you focusing on?"

    "The flame."

    "Good, now answer each of my questions without thinking too hard. What does the river near our house remind you of?"

    "Water."

    "What about the water?"

    "It''s moving."

    "Can you see the fire in front of you?"

    "You told me to close my eyes."

    "Can you see any flame in your mind?"

    "Yes."

    "Where is the flame going?"

    "I don''t know."

    "Yes, you do. Think of the flame in your mind, think of where the flame starts and where the flame ends. Where is the fire going?"

    "Up?"

    "Correct. The fire is going up, or, in other words, it is?"

    "Moving."

    "So just like the water of the river, the fire is?"

    A spinning ball of water appeared in between my hands, the way that Mom described the fire to me allowed me to think of water as well.

    "What I just showed you with Aryet was the way that I was taught to manifest my affinity. Think of something that reminds you of your affinity, and it will come to you, even if you''re somewhere that you would never believe is connected to what your affinity is. Now, Liza, do you think you can try to show us your affinity with your sisters as examples?"

    "But Mom, I don''t know what my affinity is."

    "I do. You see, your father comes from a family where you can tell what their affinity is through the color of their hair. Your father has brown hair as his affinity is with the ground, the rocks, and the dirt beneath us. Aryet has blue hair, like the water she controls, and Idrel has pink hair. Don''t ask me why a fire affinity gives you pink hair, I don''t know. You, Liza, have purple hair, which means your affinity is with what we call force."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "Force?"

    "Have you ever pushed something, or maybe pulled it?"

    "Yeah."

    "That is the force I''m talking about, simply put. Moving anything, breaking it, creating it, any sort of action that changes the characteristics of an object, whether it be where it is, the shape that it''s in, or how much of it there is."

    "I still don''t understand."

    Mom tossed a pebble on the ground near Liza and started walking towards me.

    "Here, I''ll give you an example of what I''m talking about, and what I want you to try and do is lift the pebble off the ground without touching it. Alright?"

    "Okay."

    She got behind me and spoke in my ear.

    "Hey Aryet, just remember, this is all so we can grow as a family."

    "What?"

    I felt a large pain in my back, and before I knew it I was halfway across the arena. Mom had pushed me as hard as I could, and as soon as I touched the ground my head hit the stone floor. I rolled over a couple of times before finally being able to stand up, but I was extremely dizzy. My head felt like it would explode, and I fell to the ground and couldn''t hear or see anything around me. My ears were ringing and I felt like I would die right there. Eventually, I was able to see and hear again, and I saw that Idrel was over by me, while Mom was walking over to us. My ears finally stopped ringing and I was able to hear what she was saying.

    "Are you two alright? I''m sorry for pushing you two so hard, but I thought taking you by surprise would give Liza a better chance to understand her affinity in its purest form, or at least in the purest way I can show it to her."

    "Did she lift the pebble?"

    "She did, yes. Now, all of you come back upstairs and we''ll have a quick conversation. After that, you can all go back to bed."

    We made our way back up the stairs that we came down, and Mom closed the bookcase by pulling on a different book, one closer to the bottom of the shelf. After the door was fully closed we all went to the big room and sat on the couch, and Mom sat back in the chair she was in.

    "Over the next five years, I will be teaching you as much as I know on how to control the affinities given to you. You heard Aunt Alena talk about how she was founding a school, and how she wanted you three to be students when it was complete. I want you to succeed at this school, I want you all to set an example for the other kids there. You will be able to do this if you let me help you understand yourself and the affinity you have, but I need all of you to be open to that."

    She turned to Elya.

    "I know I let you sit out today, and while I won''t force you to do what your sisters are doing immediately, I''m going to expect that you come around eventually. The world is too dangerous for me to allow you to go through your entire childhood without even touching the powers that have been gifted to you, and so I also need you to understand that I am doing this in your best interest. Every time I push you to do better, every time I criticize you when you do poorly, every single thing that I will do to you over the course of the next five years is something that I am doing so you can all have better futures than me and your father did when we were your age. Can you promise me that you''ll try to join your sisters and learn more about your affinity eventually?"

    Elya waited a bit, but she nodded in the end.

    "Good, now you can all go to bed."

    We got up from the couch and headed to the stairs up to our bedrooms. As we were walking out of the room, Mom spoke again.

    "I love you all."

    Before I had the chance to respond, Idrel had already replied.

    "We all love you too Mom, goodnight."

    "Goodnight."

    We all went up to our rooms, and I jumped back into my bed and fell asleep quickly. The next morning I woke up just when the sun was rising, and as I went downstairs I saw that Mom and my sisters were already eating breakfast. I quickly grabbed whatever was left and ate it, and we went back down to the arena to practice with our powers more.

    For the next week, we would be constantly practicing with Mom there as we were doing it. Liza had quickly learned how to use her power, and only a few days after being able to lift a pebble she was already bringing stones that were larger than her up and down the staircase, and she had just started learning how to move objects instead of just holding them above the ground. Idrel was practicing shooting the fire that she created between her hands, and every day she would wake up, create, and then shoot fire as many times as she could, and go back to sleep. The only time that she would take breaks was when she either needed to eat or when she could no longer create any fire. Mom wanted me to get more control over the water I was creating, so she would have me hold the balls of water I made for as long as I could and then immediately make another ball of water once I was unable to hold the one I had just made any longer. I fell to the ground a few times during the week when I tried to hold the water between my hands for longer than an hour, or maybe it wasn''t an hour. We all could barely say what time it was during the week, the arena was dark and still only lit up by torches. Mom had to force us to come upstairs so we would eat lunch, and sometimes Liza and Idrel refused to.

    The first week had passed, and Liza, Idrel, and I had all made a lot of progress with our powers, however Elya had not even started to try with hers. Eventually, Mom got upset with her, and on the eighth day of our training, she started arguing with Elya about her learning to control her power

 Three Days Worth of Change

    On the eighth day after breakfast, we all went back down to the arena and Elya followed us and sat down on the side like she usually does. Each of us was continuing with our training while waiting for Mom to come down the stairs. When Mom did eventually come down to the arena she looked mad. She went by each and every one of us and silently watched as we trained. Whenever we made a mistake she would sigh, and after a few minutes of this she must have lost her patience.

    "STOP!"

    We all froze in place. The water I was trying to hold was still moving around quickly, so when I let go it got all over my arms. Liza was moving a large stone again, and when she dropped it I made sure to cover my ears. Idrel simply threw the flame she was controlling away and looked at Mom.

    "All of you have been doing mostly well. I think that maybe after a few more days of this kind of practice, I''ll finally be able to start really expanding on the possibilities of each of your individual affinities. However, one of you promised that you would try to manifest their affinity a week ago and that person hasn''t even asked me or their sisters any questions about how."

    She turned to Elya.

    "I''m just watching them! I still don''t understand how they do it!"

    "Don''t lie to me, Elya. I told you on the second day that if you had any questions or any doubts about how you would manifest your affinity you should come to me. Did I ever say to learn by only watching your sisters?"

    "No, but-"

    "No excuses, Elya. Listen, I understand that it may seem scary, but once you get the hang of it you''ll look at yourself now and think that you were stupid for ever not wanting to learn more about your affinity."

    "I don''t want to do it! You said long ago that we can still live many different lives without our powers, right?"

    "That was before I got sick. The situation has changed now, and if you want to live any life at all you need to make sure that you can control what you will need to just survive a single night."

    "I don''t want to!"

    "This isn''t a debate. I''m not asking for your opinion on whether you should or shouldn''t learn how to control your affinity, you are going to. If you''re going to be stubborn then I''ll come over there and force you to learn more about your affinity myself, we have the same one after all."

    "Please, I promise I''ll do it later, I promise! I just don''t know how to, please!"

    "See, now you''re changing your story, Elya. The way you''re responding to this is the same way you respond to every new experience. You make as many excuses as possible, and then eventually when we actually get you to do whatever it is you''re throwing a fit about you find out that you actually enjoy it. I''m not going to baby you like your father always insists I do, you''re going to learn how to use your affinity and then we''ll never have this argument again."

    She started to walk over to Elya.

    "No! Stay back!"

    What was she going to do to her? Why did she talk about how they had the same affinity? Elya looked like she was about to cry, and she was holding her arms out in front of her like she was trying to stop Mom before she even got to her. The situation made me remember what Dad had told me about how I needed to be there for Elya and the others even though Mom was still here with us. I don''t know why but I dashed over to Elya and stopped in between her and Mom. I held my arms out at my sides like trying to stop Mom, I wasn''t sure if this would even work at all. Liza was still frozen while watching this, but Idrel had gone back to practicing.

    "Hold on, Mom. Please just let her sit out this time. I promise that I''ll get her to practice soon, please just don''t do whatever you''re going to do to her."

    "While I appreciate the fact that you''re trying to protect your sister, you don''t have to protect her from me. I''m your mother, Aryet."

    She began to walk forward again but I did not move.

    "Please! If you try to force her to learn she''s only going to do it without effort, she''s going to just do whatever she has to in order to make sure you''re not mad at her. Don''t you want her to actually want to learn?"

    "That is ideally what would happen, but your sister is being stubborn. Sometimes, when children are being stubborn their parents have to discipline them. Elya needs to learn that she won''t always be able to say no and just have all her problems disappear, and she also needs to learn how to use her damn affinity."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "I promise she will, I''ll personally help her train if you tell me what her affinity is. I''ll stay up late, I''ll stop my own training to help her."

    "Get out of my way, Aryet."

    "Please, Mom! If you hurt her you''re just going to make things worse!"

    "You don''t know anything about what it''s like to be a parent, Aryet. Maybe when you have children of your own we can talk about my decision, but right now your words don''t mean anything to me. Move out of my way, I''m not going to ask again."

    She started walking towards Elya once more. What could I say to convince her? How was I going to stop her from forcing Elya to go through pain just so she could learn how to use her power? What could I do, what should I say? What would Mom do whenever people didn''t listen to her? What did that man do when the people around the carriage were too loud?

    "DON''T MOVE!"

    Liza had put her hands over her mouth and Idrel had stopped practicing to look over at me.

    "Excuse me?"

    "Dad asked me to take care of Elya and the others, so that''s what I''m going to do. Don''t come closer!"

    "Wow, you really want to learn your important lesson first. Why didn''t you just tell me?"

    She grabbed me by the hair and started to walk towards the stairs.

    "Ow!"

    "Either you walk with me or I''ll drag you by your hair."

    She was mad at me. I shouldn''t have said no to her, I should have let her hurt Elya. Why was she going to hurt Elya? If Elya was hurt she wouldn''t want to practice any more than she did before, and Mom knows her the best. Why would she think that hurting Elya would work now if it has never worked in the past? It didn''t matter now, she was going to hurt me instead of Elya. I walked close to her so she didn''t pull on my hair as we went up the stairs. When we got upstairs Mom went to the garden near the courtyard. She let go of my hair after we got to the garden, it was pouring.

    "Please Mom, I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to say no to you, I just didn''t want Elya to get hurt! Please, I promise I won''t talk back to you again."

    "It''s alright."

    "What?"

    "I said it''s alright. Everyone has the urge to act out sometimes, I remember back when I was a kid I would say no to my parents all the time. I can''t expect you to be any better than I was."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah. However, I need you to understand that what you did wasn''t okay, and I need you to promise that you''ll never do it again."

    Mom was really okay with me screaming at her? Why did she drag me all the way up here if she was just going to ask me to apologize and promise to not do what I did again?

    "I apologize, what I did was stupid, and I won''t do it again."

    "You''re right, it was stupid. Now that I think about it, an apology isn''t enough. Here''s how you''re going to make it up to me. Manifest your affinity in front of you right now."

    Well, that was easy, I had been practicing all week and there was water all around me. After a few seconds, a ball of water appeared in between my hands.

    "Great, now I just need one more thing from you. After this, we can go back downstairs and pretend this never happened."

    Mom walked over to the flower that she knew was my favorite, she waved at me to come closer to her so I walked over to the flower.

    "Sometimes you''re going to need to think fast when you''re manifesting your affinity. Maybe you won''t have the time to figure out how the place you''re in connects to water, and that is when you need to get it from a nearby source. Do you know what an example of a source is?"

    "A river?"

    "Right! What else?"

    "The rain?"

    "Also correct. I''ll give you a hint for this next one, it''s right in front of you."

    "A flower?"

    "Correct! Flowers have water in them. What I want you to do, to prove to me that you''re truly sorry, is take the water from this flower."

    "What?"

    "You heard me. Take the water from the flower."

    "That''s my favorite flower!"

    "I''m sure the flower will be happy that you used the water in it."

    "Can''t I use another flower?"

    "No, I told you to take the water from this one."

    "Please, any other flower, I want to keep this one alive!"

    Mom stood up and walked behind me.

    "So what you''re saying is, you won''t take the water from this flower?"

    "Please, I''ll do it for any other flower in this garden."

    She placed her hand on the side of my head.

    "Oh, Aryet. My sweet, sweet, sweet child. Remember what I said when we started training?"

    "What?"

    "Everything I do, I''m doing it so you have a better future."

    I heard a crack and suddenly I felt the worst pain I had ever known throughout my entire body. It felt like a thousand knives were inside me and all of them were stabbing through me trying to get out. I immediately started screaming, if this continued I was sure I would die. I can''t collect my thoughts, all I can think about is whether or not I''ll die. A few seconds later the pain finally stopped. I fell to the ground and I could hear Mom''s voice again.

    "What''s wrong, Aryet? I thought you were so confident in telling me that you wouldn''t do what I told you to. So, how about killing that flower?"

    I barely was able to stand back up.

    "I don''t want to!"

    The same pain came back again. At any moment I might explode, burst from whatever is trying to destroy everything inside me. I could hear Mom''s voice while I was trying not to scream so loud I couldn''t speak.

    "Are you going to kill the flower, Aryet?"

    I could only say a few words without feeling like I''d be better off dead.

    "I don''t know how!"

    "Feel the water inside the flower, and pull it."

    "I can''t!"

    "Pull it."

    "Mom!"

    "PULL IT!"

    I reached my hand out towards the flower, and I pulled as hard as I could. Again, and again, and again, I pulled as hard as I could possibly pull. The pain went away once more, and when I could see clearly the flower in front of me was nothing but dust. I fell to the ground again, I couldn''t move a single part of my body.

    "See, that wasn''t so hard. Good job!"

    Mom grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head up so I could see her face. She was smiling, but it looked weird. It looked familiar, like something I had seen before. She had the same face as the woman in my dream, and I felt the same pain that she gave me. She had the same smile that made me afraid of the person in front of me, how could someone smile after hurting me like that?

    "Don''t you ever fucking talk to me like that again."

    She threw my head back onto the ground.

    "Get yourself downstairs."

    I heard her walk away back into the house, and after a bit, I couldn''t hear anything but the rain. I couldn''t keep my eyes open anymore, and I fell asleep lying in the dirt and mud.

 Three Days Worth of Change (2)

    When I woke up I was back in my bed. I was wearing my nightdress and my bed smelled like the sheets had been washed. It was dark outside and I could barely see in front of me. I stumbled around my room until I found the door. I opened the door and grabbed the candle from the hallway. When I went back into my room, I saw a letter beside my bed. I picked it up and unfolded the paper. The letter was from Mom.

    Aryet,

    You''ll probably be reading this in the night, I came to find you when you didn''t come downstairs and you were lying in the mud. I would never let any daughter of mine appear so unsightly, so I brought you inside and made sure you were clean. You refused to wake up even after an hour of my cleaning, and so I decided to leave you to rest.

    I do deeply apologize for what happened today. I am truly sorry that our argument progressed to such an extent, and I am sorry that I had to use such unruly means to educate you. However, I hope you take the listen I intended for you to learn from this little affair and use it to better yourself as a person, and as a student. Elya consented to practice with the other girls after she saw me disciplining you, so I suppose I thank you for serving as an example. Elya seems like she will need more convincing, and I expect that you will not pursue the same foolish actions you did today.

    I don''t believe that you will understand why I am acting this way right now, I don''t expect you to. Maybe one day when you are older you will look back and be thankful for the lessons I instilled into you at an early age. Your young age entails that if you are not to immediately understand my actions, then instead I must force you to respect them. Unless you want the events of today to happen again, I suggest you learn when and when not to speak quickly.

    All the best,

    Your one and only mother

    This wasn''t an apology, this was her saying why what she did was right. Even though she told me that she was trying to help me, I still couldn''t believe her. Since when did hurting people ever help them? Since when did Mom think that forcing people to do what she wants is the right thing? The question of "Why?" kept me up the entire night, as I tried to remember any time that Mom had acted this way before. She didn''t get mad at Idrel when she burned Dad, she even argued with Dad because he was mad at her. I also couldn''t understand why she looked like the woman from my dream. She''d never made that face before, she''d never acted that way before. Was she even the same person? I remembered what I heard Mom and Dad talking about back when we first saw her. That must be it. The curse that made Mom sick must be coming back, that''s why Dad left. That''s why Dad asked me to take care of my sisters, he knew that Mom would get sick again and that this time it would make her want to hurt us. That''s why Mom seems like a different person, it''s because she is. But what do I do? If I try to fight her, I''ll definitely lose. Even if I do win, what do I do then? Idrel seems to be totally controlled by her, so will she attack me? Will she leave? I don''t know when Dad is going to come back, and what would I do while waiting for them? We would eventually run out of food, and we wouldn''t be able to get more. There were too many problems that would come up if I tried to deal with the way Mom is acting now, if I tried to fight back against her. If I can just survive and help Elya survive until Dad gets back then this will all be over. He''ll have a way to get rid of the curse for good, and we''ll all be fine again. Liza and Idrel are sucking up to Mom, so they won''t need my help in not getting hurt. All I have to do is listen to her for now, if I don''t mess up my practice she won''t hurt me. If she hurts Elya, I''ll help her get better.

    By the time I had decided what I would do, the sun was already up. I went down to get breakfast and then I went down the staircase to the arena. When I got down there, the others were standing on the wall and Mom was in front of them.

    "Look who''s finally up. Get on the wall, we''re talking about a new plan for training."

    I quickly got over to the wall and stood next to Elya. I could feel her shaking, and she was breathing really quickly. What did Mom do to her yesterday?

    "For the past week, I''ve left you all to master your affinities in your own way. While I did give you things to do, they were just basic exercises to help you better understand how to control your power. Now that I''ve given you a week, I think it''s time that we move on to the faster way for you to truly get better with your affinities."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    She walked over to us and put her hand in between Elya and Liza.

    "Split into pairs."

    Me and Elya walked off to one side while Liza and Idrel walked off to the other.

    "Liza and Elya, you''ll be training with each other. Idrel and Aryet, you wait by the wall."

    Liza and Elya both walked onto the arena while Idrel and I each went to the wall on our side.

    "Now, what I want you both to do is to have a practice match between you. You will fight, whether using your affinities or your own body and you will fight until one of you either gives up or is knocked unconscious."

    What? She''s making us fight?

    "Wait, Mom-"

    Mom looked over at me like she was going to hurt me again. She had that same smile that went all the way from one side of her face to the other, with her eyes buried beneath her eyelids.

    "Hey, Aryet. Do you remember what I wrote about in the letter I gave you?"

    "Yeah."

    "So do you just want another taste of electricity, or do you have memory loss?"

    I looked away from Mom and didn''t talk anymore.

    "In fact, that gives me a good idea for how to help you all do your best in these matches. Whoever loses is going to get a punishment from yours truly."

    She was going to do what? Why would she punish someone for losing, what if they were knocked out? Does she want to kill us? Was this her way of punishing me, by hurting Elya? I knew that Elya would lose, there''s no way she could''ve gotten good enough to even put up a fight against Liza. She''s also way too weak. I hoped that Liza would stand up to Mom, maybe if all three of us said that we wouldn''t fight each other then Mom would have no choice but to listen. Liza isn''t dumb, and why would she want to hurt Elya-

    The next thing I knew, Elya was on the ground and crying in pain. Liza had thrown a rock at her with her powers, and it hit Elya right in the head. She was bleeding, and I watched as Liza walked up to her slowly. I could see Mom looking right at me out of the corner of my eye. If I tried to move, if I tried to do anything, she would either punish me or hurt Elya more.

    Elya was still sobbing on the ground, and Liza had lifted up a large piece of the arena and she was holding it over her.

    "Say that you give up."

    "Please! I''m sorry, please! Don''t hurt me!"

    "Say it."

    Elya could barely stop sobbing just for her to beg Liza to not drop the boulder over her head on her.

    "Please! I don''t want to die!"

    "Say that you give up."

    "Liza, please!"

    Liza let go of the boulder, and as it fell I couldn''t control myself. Elya put her arms above her head and screamed so loud I felt like my ears would burst.

    "No!"

    "I give up!"

    Liza caught the boulder again just before it hit Elya. I hadn''t noticed, but I was holding a ball of water in my right hand, and I wasn''t on the wall anymore. Liza put the boulder back where it originally was, and Mom walked into the arena. She clicked her tongue while l dropped the water in my hand and immediately got back on the wall.

    "Good job, Liza."

    She patted Liza on the head and then walked over to Elya.

    "Well, you know the rules."

    She grabbed Elya by the hair with one hand and pulled her head up. She put her other hand on the side of Elya''s head and as she was doing this she looked at me.

    "You knew the rules too, Aryet. That means you need to get punished as well."

    "I didn''t do anything!"

    "But you were going to, that''s all that matters. Just because you don''t break the rules doesn''t mean the fact that you intended to doesn''t mean anything. Liza, Idrel, go hold her."

    "What?"

    Liza and Idrel both dashed over to me and they held me up against the wall.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Elya deserves the worst punishment here, she didn''t even try to fight. You, however, apparently didn''t get the message from yesterday. I will now demonstrate for you again what happens when you don''t listen to me, and I want you to look at it clearly so you''ll understand this time."

    She started to hurt Elya, it was the same thing that she did to me yesterday. Elya immediately started screaming, she tried to speak to Mom but she was only able to make weird noises. I looked away, I couldn''t watch Mom hurt her like this. The sound of Mom''s power stopped, and I opened my eyes again.

    "Keep your eyes open, Aryet. You need to see what happens when I''m disobeyed."

    "I won''t do it!"

    "Either you look at her now, or you''re going to be standing there with your eyes closed listening to her scream until you listen."

    I closed my eyes once more, and she started hurting Elya again. All I heard was Mom''s power mixed with Elya screaming so loud that I thought she was going to die. I closed my eyes as hard as I possibly could and I tried not to listen to Elya screaming until she couldn''t make a single sound. Her voice sounded like it was giving up, and instead of screaming, she was just making whatever noise she could. I tried to ignore her, but I kept hearing the sound of Mom''s power. I couldn''t take it any longer, tears were flowing down my face and I was in pain myself from being pushed against the wall by Liza and Idrel.

    I opened my eyes and after the tears went away I looked at Mom. She wasn''t smiling like she did when she hurt me, she was staring at me with a grin on her face. I couldn''t hear what she was trying to say to me, but I was able to see a few words come out of her mouth.

    "You did this."

 Three Days Worth of Change (3)

    After another minute of Idrel and Liza forcing me to watch as Mom tortured Elya she finally let her go. She fell to the ground and I heard a large crack as her head hit the stone the arena was made of. Elya couldn''t speak anymore, she opened her mouth but no sounds came out.

    "Liza, come and bring your sister upstairs. Make sure that she isn''t dead."

    Liza and Idrel stopped holding me against the wall, but as soon as they let go of me I fell to the floor as well. I couldn''t stand up anymore. My whole body was shaking, and my mind was telling me to do a million things at once. Take Elya. Run. Kill Liza. Kill Idrel. Kill Mom. Run. Leave them all. Run. I didn''t have any more tears, I couldn''t even feel my eyes anymore. Liza walked over to where Elya was, but instead of picking her up in her arms, she used her powers to do that. I watched as she moved her hand and Elya started floating. There was this purple glow all around her body. For a moment, Liza stopped and stared at Elya while she was floating. She moved her back and forth a bit and Elya''s arms and legs flew around. What was she doing? Right after she stopped and continued to carry Elya up the stairs, I heard her laughing. She was treating Elya like an object, like something she could just control. All it took was me hearing her chuckle for a single second and I couldn''t hold myself back. My legs started to work again, but by the time I noticed that I was already halfway to Liza. My hand was in front of me and I had created water on the spot. Another second passed and I was right behind her. The water had placed itself over my now-formed fist, but just before I was able to hit Liza something hit my stomach so hard that I couldn''t breathe. After I gasped for air, I was able to see Mom holding me. She had picked me up off the ground and I couldn''t move.

    "Your opponent isn''t Liza. Get back to your side, Aryet. Your match is starting."

    She threw me across the arena, but I had no trouble landing on my feet this time. In fact, I couldn''t feel any pain when I landed on the ground. I couldn''t feel anything. It was like my body was moving for me, and I was just watching it happen. Idrel was already on the opposite side of the arena when I heard Mom counting down.

    "Three, two, one, begin."

    Not even a second had passed after Mom gave the signal to start and I was already in the middle of the Arena. Idrel had made a ball of fire, and she threw it right at me. I dodged to the left and sprinted at her once more. She started to run away, but she was creating and throwing as much fire as she could at this time. I only saw after the fourth or fifth throw that in my left hand was a rope of water that was running alongside me. Every time she threw another lump of fire at me my left hand would swing in front of my body and the rope would follow. Sometimes the water would join the fire and turn into steam, but every single time I was able to see my left hand, even out of the corner of my eye, the water I controlled was there with it. Eventually, I had backed Idrel into a corner of the arena, and as she was trying to throw another ball of fire at me I dashed at her and slammed my right hand into her stomach as hard as I could.

    Idrel screamed in pain, and I heard some of her bones crack when my fist made contact with her stomach. She was struggling to breathe and fell backward after tripping over her own feet. Her head hit the ground, and I heard another crack. I dashed over and put myself on top of her, preventing her from moving in any direction. She immediately tried to create fire again, but before she succeeded I started hitting her as hard as I could. I lost control of my body again, and I watched as I hit her again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. Each time my hand would come back more fully painted red. Whatever part of her face wasn''t covered in blood was covered in tears and snot from her nose which had been broken. It didn''t matter. If she were in my position she would be doing the same thing. Both of them, Liza and Idrel. They''re both only ever complaining when things don''t go their way. She threw a fit when she burned Dad? If I was Dad I would''ve returned whatever pain she gave me right there and then. They only ever cry, beg, and plead when they know that there''s no other way for them to take advantage of their situation. The moment they have the freedom to act as they want to they''ll go back to hurting people, to tricking them. These weren''t people who deserved for me to stop hitting them just because they were hurt, they weren''t people who deserved to ever stop feeling pain. The thing that I looked at was even more disgusting than before, and I started hitting her, trying to make whatever freak of nature that had replaced my sister go away so she would feel the pain that I''d been working so hard to make. I hit her again, and again, and again, and again, and again, blood was all over the ground, and again, her head stopped moving, and she stopped trying to struggle, and AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN. I heard the sound of Mom''s power and I could no longer move my hand. I looked up and Mom, and she was smiling at me.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Good job, Aryet. You beat Idrel and gave her the punishment she deserved so I wouldn''t have to. You really do love your mother."

    She messed with my hair.

    "She isn''t dead yet, so I''m going to take her into the capital so she can learn more when she comes back. We want students, not skeletons. In the meantime, go and help Liza with Elya. She has probably woken up right now and she''s definitely not going to let your sister take care of you."

    She was telling me to take care of Elya? What happened to punishing her for losing? Was this some sort of te-

    "I''m not testing you, Aryet. However, I''m glad that you are constantly thinking about learning. You don''t need to prove that you''ll listen to me any more than you just did. Now go up and help your sister get better."

    I ran upstairs and when I got to the kitchen I found Liza trying to force a spoon of some kind of food into Elya''s mouth while she was screaming at her to leave.

    "Just eat the foot, Elya!"

    "Leave me alone!"

    "Don''t be such a baby-"

    I couldn''t control myself. At this point, Liza must be asking to get hurt. Every single thing that comes out of her mouth, every action that she takes is so obnoxious. Any parent who wasn''t as nice as Mom and Dad, or at least who wasn''t as nice as they were would be done with her by now. Maybe they would''ve thrown her out on the street, or maybe they would hurt her every day. If they did, would she ever learn to shut up? Would she ever learn to care about the things and the people around her? I was about to learn that for myself, as I dragged her out into the courtyard.

    "Let me go! Aryet, it hurts! Let go!"

    "Shut up."

    When we got out to the courtyard I threw her by her hair to the ground.

    "What are you doing?!"

    "Don''t play dumb Liza! You think you just get to hurt Elya until she''s crying, begging you for mercy, and then get upset when she doesn''t let you force food down her throat?"

    "I''m helping her get better!"

    "YOU MADE HER THIS WAY!"

    "If I hadn''t listened to Mom she would''ve hurt me instea-"

    "Yeah! That would''ve been a better outcome than what she did to Elya! What you did to me? That wasn''t just wrong that was sick. Don''t act like you were just doing what Mom told you to do."

    "I was!"

    "Then you''re sick. You''re a sick person who doesn''t know when to not listen to someone. You SHOOK HER!"

    "What?"

    "When she was in the air as you were bringing her up the stairs because apparently, you can''t hold your own sister in your arms, you shook her and watched as her arms and legs flew around and you laughed!"

    "I just-"

    My fist flew out in front of me and I heard the loudest crack yet when it made contact with Liza''s face. She flew back and onto the ground, and she was bleeding from her mouth. The blood from Idrel had barely dried and I had already gotten more on the same hand. This was going to be a pain to wash off.

    "Both you and Idrel seem to have no understanding of how to be a good person. Idrel, well I don''t know what happened to her. One day she was my shy, curious sister who wanted to do something with her powers, and now she''s some emotionless tool for whatever Mom asks her to do. But you, you always understood everything that you were doing. Whether it was faking being sad so you could get an extra cookie, or forcing Elya to do whatever you wanted and then giving me that stupid fucking smile when I caught you torturing her. I just gave Idrel the lesson I wanted her to learn so I''m going to spell it out for you as well."

    She was faking tears while looking at me. Her hand was placed over her mouth and I saw drops of blood come through the gaps in between her fingers.

    "If you ever do something like that to me or Elya again, if you ever "just listen to Mom" when she tells you to hurt us - I don''t care. Anything that I think is an example of you being a horrible person counts. If you ever do anything like that, you won''t have to worry about being punished by Mom anymore. I''ll kill you in front of everyone before she can lay a finger on me."

    She had picked up a large bush in the courtyard, and she was holding it above me. She had been trying to bring it over my head without me noticing, but I heard it being uprooted. She dropped it, and I took a few steps forward so I wouldn''t get hit. The bush landed behind me, and I grabbed some water from its leaves and threw it at Liza as fast as I could. It hit her in the head and she fell face-first onto the ground.

    I soon saw blood in a puddle around her head, but I decided to leave her in the sun.

    She could get herself inside.

 Three Days Worth of Change (4)

    The next day had come, and I was prepared to kill either Idrel or Liza. I had nursed Elya back to the point where she could at least walk, and I was finally able to get a long night of sleep. I worried that Liza would try to take revenge for what happened in the courtyard that afternoon, but she was probably too scared. I woke up to the sound of Mom opening the door. She was back with Idrel. I rushed downstairs to greet her, I wanted to be there if she was going to ask me to do something so she wouldn''t start the day off yelling.

    "Aryet, good that you''re here. Carry Idrel to her bed and then grab Elya. I want you both to meet me downstairs in about an hour after you both grab breakfast."

    She dumped Idrel into my arms.

    "Do you want me to bring Liza as well?"

    "I know you did something to her yesterday. She should''ve expected that treating Elya like a ragdoll would''ve gotten you angry. She can take time to rest from whichever way you chose to make her afraid of you yesterday. Idrel clearly already does, at least I''d hope she does, I had a hard time finding a good excuse for her state when we got to the cleric''s house. Don''t hurt her any more than you already have, it wouldn''t mean anything anyway."

    I brought Idrel to her bed and placed her down gently when we got there. I could''ve thrown her, I could''ve dropped her on the floor, but Mom was right. I wasn''t hurting them just for the sake of it, I was hurting them because there was no other way I would get them to listen.

    Is that what Mom thought whenever we wouldn''t immediately do what she said? Did she think that there was truly no other option for getting us to understand whatever she wanted us to hear? Was I like her, hurting Liza and Idrel because I couldn''t think of another way to get through to them? It doesn''t matter now, they''ll surely listen to me after what I did to both of them, and there''s no use in crying over something that won''t change.

    If Mom is asking for just me and Elya then that means she''s probably going to make us fight each other, so I need to think of what I''m going to do. If I catch her by surprise I could knock her out, maybe I could find something to tie her up so she doesn''t have the opportunity to punish me after I fight her. I ate my breakfast while thinking about the many different ways the fight could go down. Once Mom presented the idea I knew that Elya would immediately say no. Mom''s patience will probably be short so I have maybe a minute before she decides to start hurting Elya again. I need to know whether there''s anything wrong with her. If she has any trouble using her power then I can make use of that.

    My entire time spent at the table was wasted thinking about what would happen in the next few minutes. I had barely eaten anything so I was still starving but I knew that if I waited any longer she might even attack both of us as soon as we get down there. I grabbed Elya by the arm and brought her with me downstairs. Mom was standing in the middle of the arena when we got down the stairs.

    "Good, you''re finally here. Go stand on opposite sides."

    I let go of Elya''s arm as I walked towards the left side of the arena. Elya waited for a bit, but after I mouthed at her to start walking she got over to her side.

    "I think you both know what I''m about to ask you to do. You are the only ones who are in a fit state to practice, and so you will practice in the same way I had you practice with Liza and Idrel. Now, you two get a lucky break. Because your sisters are both unavailable, I don''t have the choice of disciplining you after every loss. Additionally, you''re free to call a loss after a single combat exchange. While I expect you to fight in some regard, I will allow a reasonable forfeit after even a single drop of blood has been drawn. I am forced to keep you both in a good enough state so that you can have several matches today, so savor this opportunity of relatively harmless training while you can."

    Really? Was she going to let us fight without hurting each other? Or at least, without knocking each other unconscious. This was great, now I didn''t have to worry about fighting Mom, at least not for today. I could have a light match with Elya, and I wouldn''t have to worry about her or me getting hurt again. All that needed to happen now was just for me to figure out how I''d make it look like I was trying without actually hurting Ely-Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "I won''t do it."

    What?

    "Looks like you really want to put your sister out of practice. If I have to punish you too you know I''ll just force her to train alone."

    Why was she choosing right now to be disobedient? There were so many things that could''ve happened that would''ve made her say no to Mom, but this was at the bottom of the list. Mom wasn''t forcing us to really hurt each other, she didn''t even say that she would hurt us. Why was she choosing this moment to make a deal out of?

    "I don''t know what you did to Liza, Idrel, and Aryet but they''re different. Idrel doesn''t do what she actually wants, Liza is more mean, and even Aryet is starting to hurt people. I''m not going to let you change me like you changed them."

    Changed me? What do you mean changed me, I''m still the same person that I was a few days ago. All that changed was the actions that I took, actions that I had to take. If I didn''t beat up Idrel if I didn''t teach a lesson to Liza, they would be down here now and I wouldn''t be able to protect you. I''m still doing what I do so that we can all be safe so that we don''t have to worry about getting hurt. Where did this come from? She was so scared of everything around her yesterday, she was constantly crying and begging for things her entire life. What''s with the sudden change?

    "So what is this display? You can''t even be bothered to try and learn your affinity, how are you going to stand up to me? Are you just going to talk about how bad I am? Do you think that I care what a child of mine thinks about the way I choose to act as a parent?"

    "You''re not my Mom. I don''t know what you did to her, but you''re not acting like her."

    "Well, Elya, if you''re some sort of masochist you are about to get exactly what you want."

    I had only a few seconds before she got to Elya. I didn''t have time to think of a plan for how I would fight Mom, so I just started moving. Not even a second had passed and my decision was already made, as my fist reached out to protect Elya from the person who seemed like they were about to kill her. I hit her right in the head, and she flew toward the wall of the arena.

    "Elya, run."

    Elya ran to the stairs, and she quickly recovered and started walking towards me.

    "So is this some sort of planned mutiny? Helpless sister acts bold so the only one who can do a single thing can get in a single attack? What''s the plan now, Aryet?"

    She dashed toward me before giving me a chance to respond, I sprinted toward the other side of the arena, and as I was running away I was making hordes of water droplets and shooting them at her as fast as I could. When she dashed at me again, I took the opportunity to surprise her with a larger ball of water. I threw it as hard as I could right at her face, and getting hit by the ball caused her to trip and fall over. We were at opposite sides of the arena once more. When she dashed for a third time, she had her power created in her hands. Thousands of tiny bolts of electricity danced in her palms, and she would get rid of whatever I threw at her if I tried the same thing again. I had only a second to decide how I would deal with this attack.

    "Just like he taught you. Under, and up."

    I dashed toward her, and just as she was about to reach me I ducked under her hands. I raised my right fist to the sky as fast and hard as I could, and I heard her gasp for air when my fist hit her stomach. She flew behind me, and paused for a few seconds on the ground before getting up.

    "So that''s how you beat Idrel and Liza. Your father has been teaching you a little bit too much about close-quarters combat."

    She prepared to attack me again.

    "See that''s funny, really. I go for the daughter who controls fire, he goes for the one who controls water. Maybe he can see the future."

    The water I had created enveloped my entire body. It allowed me to move around the arena much quicker than before. Every time, she would dash at me, throw a bolt of lightning, or even try to shake the ground, and every time I would get away from her attacks.

    Quicker. I need to be quicker. If I can outrun her for long enough she''ll get tired. She doesn''t even need to fall to the floor, she just needs to get slower. Just a second slower, a second of hesitation is all I need to win. My body had started moving on its own again. Every attack just seemed like another obstacle to get over. One, by one, I had steered clear of everything she was trying. Just a few more attacks-

    "Peekaboo."

    Her fist hit my stomach, and I felt the same pain of a thousand little knives tearing at my body. I was thrown back and I slammed into the wall of the arena, I couldn''t breathe. Every single breath I tried to take felt like I was fighting against the wind.

    "That was a nice match, I wouldn''t believe in a million years that I''d have to embody my affinity against my own child, especially not when they''re nowhere near being an adult."

    I was unable to stay awake, but as my eyes closed and she was walking towards me, I saw a small figure in the back of the arena near the stairs. My eyes closed just as that figure started running towards me.

    It was Dad.

 Discord at Will

    When I woke up I was in a carriage. It wasn''t the same one that we rode to and from the capital when Mom got sick, it had dark red fabric all over the inside, and the windows were also a shade of red. I looked outside the window and it was pouring outside. I could barely see a few feet ahead of me, but I heard screaming coming from where I assumed the house was. I opened the carriage door and I was blasted with wind and water. I quickly stepped outside of the carriage and closed the door so the inside wouldn''t get wet, and I made my way toward where I heard the screaming coming from. I was pushed back by the wind and rain at every step. I crouched down so I wouldn''t get blown away when I lifted my feet off the ground to take a single step forward. Eventually, while I was looking down and trying to not get thrown onto the ground by the horrible storm around me I bumped into something large and extremely hard. I looked up and I saw that I had bumped into Dad. He didn''t respond to me bumping into him, he was looking at whatever was straight ahead of him. A few seconds passed, and eventually, the storm like no other I had ever seen before passed, and the sun shone brightly on all of us. I saw a group of flowers wrapped up on the ground, I picked it up and held them so they wouldn''t get dirty. Dad was glaring at Mom. Mom was standing near the house with Idrel, Liza, and Elya, and all of them were hugging her. It seemed like they had been fighting.

    "Elya, you should come with me."

    "Why, so you can tell her to hate her mother? So you can convince her that my attempts at making her future not miserable - like you want it to be - are some sort of horrible way to ruin her life?"

    "I''m not talking to you, Alice. Can I even call you that?"

    "Did you lose your memory while you were out doing absolutely nothing?"

    "I was out trying to figure out what happened to you. Do you really want me to tell your children what I found?"

    "I want you to tell my children the truth, but I know that everything you''re going to say is just a lie so you can take them from me, so you can convince them that they should leave of their own will."

    "Elya, I promise you that whatever Mom is telling you about me, about her, about your future, it''s all not true. She''s not in the right state of mind, and I need to take you all away from her so she doesn''t hurt you anymore."

    "Why are you only trying to take Elya away? Are Liza and Idrel not deserving of your love?"

    "It''s pathetic that you have to twist words I didn''t even to say just to turn me against the two children who you''ve spent the past few months conditioning to listen to your every word. You and I both know why I''m trying to take Elya away from you. Idrel and Liza will come to the realization that you''ve gone insane on their own, but I can''t trust that Elya will do the same."

    "You hear that, Elya? Your father says you''re incompetent and stupid. He thinks you can''t fend for yourself."

    "Elya, you were the one who ran to get me because your mother was fighting with Aryet. I know that you understand the gravity of this situation, so why are you hiding behind someone who''s going to harm you the moment I''m out of eyeshot?"

    Elya quickly ran around Mom and towards me and Dad. However, when she got halfway between us-Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    "STOP!"

    Liza''s voice rang out. It sounded just like Mom''s.

    "Elya, don''t listen to Liza. Remember, she was ready to kill you with a boulder if you didn''t say that you gave up."

    "That''s not true. You saw that I caught it right before it hit you. Even if you didn''t say that you gave up I would''ve done the same thing."

    "She doesn''t care about you, Elya. She constantly makes fun of you, hurts you, and forces you to run around when you''re out of breath. She''s just lying to you now so she''ll be able to hurt you again."

    "You really believe that? Aryet is the one who forced you to get punished by Mom, if she had just looked at you sooner then Mom would not have hurt you for that long."

    "Fuck you!"

    "Do you hear that, Elya? I didn''t even insult her, I just stated the truth about her actions and she insulted me. How long do you think it will take for her to turn on you? I say maybe three months until she starts complaining about everything you do, then maybe another three before she starts hurting you when you don''t listen to her. That''s what she did to me."

    Elya slowly walked back towards Liza, and Liza opened her arms so that Elya could hug her. When they did hug each other, Liza was looking at me with a grin on her face, like she had won something. I held my hand out and immediately created water in it, but before I could shoot that water at her, Dad grabbed my arm and pointed it at the ground. The water escaped from my hand, and he let go of my arm.

    "It seems like you''ve taught them how to manipulate others already. You''re really preparing them for great futures aren''t you Alice?"

    "I didn''t hear any manipulation. All I heard was Liza telling Elya the truth about her sister. Isn''t that what you want, Reindt? The truth?"

    Another few seconds of silence passed before Liza spoke up again.

    "Give me those flowers."

    "What?"

    "The flowers you have in your left hand. Dad was going to give them to Mom, so they belong to us. Give them to me."

    "I''m not letting you touch these."

    "Aryet, just hand them over."

    Dad didn''t seem to care about them. I didn''t want to make him angry at me as well, so I threw them over to Liza.

    "Good girl."

    I pulled all the water from the flowers as quickly as I had thrown them to Liza. They crumbled to dust in her hands and a lot of it got on her clothes. She coughed violently for a few seconds, and I heard Dad laugh quietly.

    "You little bitch!"

    Dad stepped in front of me and held a large rock in his hands. He shaped the rock into a sharp blade and pointed it at Mom who was preparing to attack me herself.

    "Get in the carriage, Aryet."

    "But-"

    "If your mother is going to leap at you, do you really want to be nearby when she tries?"

    I started walking back towards the carriage and I heard Mom scream at me.

    "You''re just going to walk away from your family, Aryet?"

    "Do you know what they told me, Alice?"

    "What?"

    "When I confronted your parents about the curse they placed on you, they told me that even if it was weakened you would never truly be rid of it. They told me that they would win in the end, and you would act the way they wanted you to. I wanted to believe they were lying, I hoped that the woman who I fell in love with because of her strength wouldn''t give up so easily. Imagine my surprise."

    Mom had stopped screaming after that, and me and Dad both walked back to the carriage. I got inside, and Dad got on the front to take us away to someplace different. I looked back at them one last time as Dad whipped the horses pulling the carriage with the reigns. Idrel and Liza were both staring at me, but Elya was still hugging Elya and looking at the ground.

    Idrel and Liza I knew would be fine. They would attack each other, they would attack Elya, and they would be the ones who get hurt the least, but I was scared for Elya. What would they do to her while I wasn''t there? Would she even survive until we saw each other again?

    I looked away from them and stared at the red fabric on the inside of the carriage. I wouldn''t spend any time that I didn''t have to thinking about a group of people who have all chosen to ruin themselves in one way or another.

    I laid down on the cushion and spent the last time I would ever think about them until we met again imagining what they would be like when we reunited.

    -

    Cunctatio est Impotentia

 Private? Aye

    It was a dark, rainy night and a girl walked into my tent. She was soaked from the rain, and the falling droplets showed me a side of her complexion that others couldn''t see. I was known for that. Seeing things that others didn''t have the ability to. From a young age, they''d come to me and ask for help, they''d say "You''re the only one who can solve this" and I knew they were right. It''s not an easy life being the only person around with a knack for finding the truth. Everyone around me said I was crazy, they said people don''t want to know the difference between what''s real and what''s fake. I said that I''d show them, that they wouldn''t be able to live their lives in the darkness I''d be fighting. This wasn''t any ordinary girl, this was a very pretty one. Rare that you see pretty girls around here, they''re out on the town these days, making use of what they''ve been given. The water reflected the light from the candle in my tent, it gave me a way to see her, see her in ways that others couldn''t. I knew she needed help. She had that look in her eyes, the look of someone who wanted to tell me what was wrong but there was something keeping them. I needed to know what. I thought about what such a pretty girl could be doing in my tent, where she had come from. She was stunning. She was the type of stunning that would make your eyes pop out. She was the type of girl that would make your eyes pop out that would make you think "Wow, that girl makes my eyes pop out" kind of girl. You know what I mean? The kind of girl that just-

    "Are you narrating me walking into the tent?"

    She was smart. She was the kind of smart you couldn''t find around town, she was the kind of smart you''d hear about in rumors. The kind of smart that can bring men to their knees and make them beg for forgiveness. This girl knew what she was doing, walking into my tent. She must''ve heard of me. No doubt my reputation has spread far after solving the mystery of the Prymdor Pebble Propagandists, or as I liked to call them: "The greatest threat to the health of the capital." After such a daring feat, who wouldn''t be interested in meeting with me? Even a girl as shrewd as this one would hear of my experience and want a piece. Everyone wanted a piece, it was rare that I''d get a night alone. The rain was my prison and my protector. I couldn''t go out into the world, but the world couldn''t come to me either. This girl got through that just to see me, she needed something.

    "You''re doing it again, aren''t you?"

    This girl might have the ability to read minds. She could be an enemy. Those propagandists wouldn''t stop at anything to get back at me after what I did to them. No man with as much villainy as they would stop at anything to acquire their revenge on the brilliant defender of public health who prevented them from continuing with their devilish deeds. She was designed to trick me. Every aspect of her beauty was a trap, it lured me into believing her innocent, but the old man inside of me knew there was something wrong... Wait, what?

    "You know I can hear you mumbling, right? If I''d known that letting you chase after the Laudle brothers would''ve made you like this again I would''ve pinned you down on the ground before you got the chance."

    "Threats of violence, huh, is that what they have you here for?"

    "You can''t call them by their name? You were playing with them less than an hour ago."

    "I didn''t know criminals got to leave their crimes behind with their reputations intact."

    "Criminals? They were throwing tiny pebbles at Ms. Ryner''s door. You then gave a big speech about how they were horrible and they ran away from you. I would run too if I wasn''t bound to you by the hip."

    This girl was speaking with me familiarly. Bound by the hip? Maybe they had eyes on me since the beginning. I couldn''t trust a single word from her, they could be lying outside this very tent waiting for me to send her off. As soon as she left, they would jump in and take my life from my very hands. I couldn''t let her leave, but I didn''t know what risks would come from having her stay.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "If you continue interrupting our conversation to narrate I''m going to punch you."

    This girl was prepared to fight me. I needed to know how I''d deal with her. She looked dainty on the outside but I couldn''t trust appearances. Everyone trusts what they see until they get hit with a pebble, those propagandists let me figure out what the truth of this world was. Would she start with her left or her right? I knew which arm she was dominant in, but this girl was no fool. We were engaged in a battle of the minds before we would break out into a battle of fisticuffs. Each of us was meticulously planning move after move, thinking minutes, no, hours ahead to when our fight had progressed to the peak of the nearby mountain. The rain would pour on both of our faces as we exchanged deathly glares. Lightning would strike, and I''d take the moment of blindness to leap at her. We''d jump off the mountain together and I''d grab on to the si-

    Her fist hit my face. This girl was quick.

    "I told you to stop narrating. Do you know how weird it is to be talking with you and then you just stop responding and stare at me?"

    How would I respond to this gesture of violence? I''d never hit a girl before, it went against my code. Even if she seemed rough now, she would become a lady of high stature in the future, I could tell. I couldn''t go around making enemies with the wealthy, with the powerful. I would get my moment where I would stand above them all, but for now, I needed to lie low. So what would I do-

    She pounced on me and pinned me to the ground. This girl was far too quick.

    "You ready to listen now?"

    "Is this your way of offering me a kiss? You''re quite straightforward."

    "Ew, gross."

    She got off me. My genius technique of flattery worked wonders on the ladies. It was only a matter of time before they would swoon when they walked into my tent. One look is all they would need for my extreme genius combined with my particularly pleasant appearance to fall head over heels for the only guy with a sense of justice around.

    "Those fiends were threatening Ms. Ryner, extorting her."

    "They asked for a slice of cake, you nitwit."

    "Is food not an object of great value? I didn''t know you wanted the lovely Ms. Ryner to go hungry. After all the good she''s done for us I thought you''d be grateful."

    Memories came flooding back like the rain which was now seeping into my tent. This girl had been with me for a while. I met her on a summer''s day, while I was patrolling the grounds of Chief Rayner''s office. The days on the beat were some of the best I''d ever had, I wonder if I could ever find a way back. She came knocking on the door and who was there to meet her but me? Her face shone like the sun above us, and Chief Rayner was fooled by her likely fraudulent facial expressions.

    "Are you acting stupid right now?"

    "Listen here, gal. You''re pretty easy on the eyes so I''ll clue you in. There are dangerous plots afoot here in East Prym. I''m here to stop ''em-

    "Did you just shorten ''East Prymdor'' by one syllable to make it sound like a nickname?"

    "There are many men who want to see me fall, and if you stay close you may fall too. A pretty girl such as yourself doesn''t want to be involved in a life like this."

    "If you mention my appearance one more time I might actually turn you over to the guards."

    "You''d report a good samaritan to the tyrants who want to take away our freedom? They don''t care about us! I''m fighting tooth and nail just to put food on my table while they relax with all the Melus in the world."

    "They have a job. They''re getting paid."

    "So they get paid to lock people up, but I get nothing for solving the questions brought to me? For easing public worry?"

    "Listen, it''s late. I''m tired. I don''t have the time to indulge in your little fantasy of being ''the little guy'' or whatever it is that you want to come out of pretending to be some advent of justice. Ms. Ryder wants you to come back inside because of the rain, she says that if you sleep here the tent will break and you''ll get soaked."

    "Chief Ryder is a worrisome one. You tell her that I''ll be just fine the same way I always was. Alone."

    "I''m not going to do that, and I''m not going to let you stay out here."

    "Oh yeah? The law has never caught me before, who says you have a shot?"

    I escaped through the back of my tent and she pursued me. She was light on her feet, this girl. She knew how to chase a man down. She was the type of girl who chased men down for a living, always trying to get what they owed her...

    Wait a second-

    "Flynn, get back here!"

    The gal called my name, but it was too late. She was only speaking to the darkness that surrounded me, and I escaped into a pale black night that actually wasn''t pale mostly because of the rain. But it felt pale. You could feel the pale. The pale may have felt me.

    Paaaaaaale.

 Private? Aye (2)

    I dipped into the nearby alley. The paleness of the night was getting to me. It was too pale, like a Rhodesian out in the sun. I could feel the midnight air creep up behind me, and I couldn''t escape my intuition screaming that I was being watched.

    "Flynn, you need to come back?"

    The gal was still after me. Chief Rayner must''ve been offered a bribe, or maybe they were being extorted. They would never give me up willingly, they brought me on the force to clean this side of town up. Nobody else would, they were all sitting idly by as criminals were allowed to roam the streets. Who would''ve stopped the pebble propagandists if not for me? Who would''ve gone after the horde of mystical beasts that wracked the streets of East Prym with infection and bloodshed? She valued me too much to simply throw me to the dogs now. I had just solved a lucrative case, and I was on the brink of finding another. I ran through the dark streets, with momentary bursts of light to guide my way. The rain had ceased and been replaced by a light mist that eased me into a sense of security. The water caressed my face like a dame who was waiting for me up in the sky. The gal wasn''t far behind me at this point, I could hear her footsteps creeping up closer even though I was sprinting as fast as I could. She was trained, I could tell by her form. This was someone who had been running for a while, someone who knew how to run. This was the kind of runner who saw an objective and just went, she wasn''t the type of runner who I could just evade, who I could tire out. I went into another alley to escape her grasp, but I didn''t elude her sight. She chased after me into the alley that I thought I would find some refuge in. We ran down the alley together, with her screaming at me to give up and go back with her. I knew I had no other choice but to run, whatever they did to force Chief Rayner into submission was something they would soon do to me. I couldn''t be taken from this city, this was the place I owed my entire life to.

    We ran for so long that I had lost track of where we were, but we both stopped under a lamp post. I had finally gotten her exhausted, but I was not far behind from passing out myself. We both leaned against the lamp post as we caught our breath, but before we got the chance to argue about the meaning of life and freedom a mysterious figure appeared before us both. This was a tall man, nearly half the size of the lamppost. Stand him next to a door and he''d win, what a sight. He wasn''t particularly fit, but he didn''t seem like the fatties I''d watch roll down the street in their fancy carriages with their collection of servants. He seemed like the kind of man who they sent to remind you of your place, the kind of man whose mere presence was a reminder, no, a threat. However, he didn''t show aggression only to me. My now adversary fell under his violent gaze as well, and we both attentively watched his next move.

    "What are you two doing out so late?"

    "Sorry sir, we were just getting home."

    He stared at the gal, I didn''t know what he was going to do to her. The intense silence took over any hopes of immediately escaping, and I readied my hands. It had been a while since I''d felt the thrill of a good fight. I brought up my fists for whatever may come from this large man, but before I had any time to plan my next step I saw an arm pass right in front of my head. I had narrowly evaded a punch that wasn''t even intended for me, but my female adversary had not done the same. Her body dropped to the ground like a coin, it was as though this man was toying with her, throwing her around purely with his strength. This was no easy opponent, whoever sent him after us wanted us gone for good. In the next few seconds, I immediately dashed at him. I got in a good few jabs in his stomach and dealt a good deal of damage to his legs. He winced in pain, but ultimately I hadn''t done anything to him. The man was built like the wall of Prymdor, an impenetrable barrier that I could only chip away at with the hopes of one day toppling the whole thing. The man made quick work of me shortly after my first attempt at bringing him down, and I found myself thrown to the floor unable to get back up to face him once more. Before he was able to lay another hand on me I saw the gal creeping up behind him. Just as he threw the fist that would''ve knocked me out clean she wrapped her arms around his neck. This girl must be trained in the art of combat, but why didn''t she simply run away? If her objective was to incapacitate me then she could''ve just left me for dead. I would never be able to deal with this unnecessarily large figure all on my own; I''d be out for the count in a few seconds time. I could leap around the answer as much as I wanted but it was ever-so apparent to me. This girl who I had shown my affection to many times before was finally accepting that she had that same feeling. I knew now that she only chased me down out of worry for me, and here she was using every tool she had to save me. How could I look at such a brave gesture and not respond in kind? I managed to get myself up off the ground just when she had been thrown to it once more.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Come on big fella, I''m not done with you just yet."

    He had pulled out a blade that he now held in his right hand. The light from the lamp post above us allowed it to gleam, I could see every part of the blade, every face of it. No, it wasn''t just that. The man lunged at me like a beast, he brought the blade forward to end my life, but he was far too slow. I found myself able to see right through everything he was trying to do. I quickly dodged to the left and he had to catch himself right before he smacked into the wall of a nearby house. Every time he would make any sort of movement, a kick, a punch, a stabbing motion, I would see it all before it even happened. What was this sensation? My eyes were burning like the candle inside the lamp posts, but it didn''t hurt. I felt like, for the first time, I was truly using my eyes. An outline of this man was made apparent to me, an image of his actions before they would occur. Stab to left torso, dodge to the right, and counter with hook to lower jaw. Slice across the chest, step back and return with forward kick to waist. Lunge to neck, dodge left and respond with knee to stomach as he''s unable to stop himself. Temporarily stunned, further destabilize with uppercut to kneck. Another pause, he can''t breathe. Finish with strong hook straight to the nose. He was lying flat on the ground, he wouldn''t be getting up any time soon. I picked up the gal, I didn''t have to worry about her coming after me anymore.

    I thought about the fight I had just gone through the entire walk back to Chief Rayner''s office. Where had this ability been my whole career? Maybe my ability to see the truth is connected to this, maybe I just see things better than the people around me. If that''s true, then I''m definitely putting this power to great use. Imagine what people like the pebble propagandists would do if they had this ability, to know things that others couldn''t in a million years. I knew why someone was sent after me. There must be another person above Chief Rayner, no, maybe someone above this whole city. They''d seen my feats and they knew that this ability of mine would soon awaken. Imagine that. A man who can see everything that''s going to happen before it actually happens. I must be one of the worst threats to whatever horrible plans they have laid out for this city, maybe even for this country. I had to lay low for a while, I couldn''t go around solving anything else. They may not even know where I''m staying, or that I''m working under Chief Rayner.

    I brought the gal home, and I decided that my tent was no place to spend the night. Whoever was out for me would stop at nothing to see me fall. Chief Rayner was well asleep when I got back, I''d talk to the gal in the morning and make sure that what happened tonight was kept a secret. There was too much at risk for me to get the Chief involved this soon. I didn''t even know what I could do, I didn''t expect that I''d make it back tonight. All I knew was that there was something coming, there was another mystery for me to solve. I knew that this one would be my biggest yet, and I couldn''t afford the people who give me the time of day getting hurt in the process.

    This was something I had to handle alone.

 Private? Aye (3)

    The sun peeked through my dust-tainted windows. The rough embrace of dawn had come upon me once more. A day not like any other, one where I had a purpose to pursue until I had dealt with the matter at hand. Another mystery had found its way to my table, and I did not have the time to sit around eating the eggs and toast served on my plate. I didn''t have time for some nicely served eggs, there was danger afoot in my town. I couldn''t go searching immediately. They''d probably recovered their agent by now and were on the lookout for anyone who could''ve taken them down. Why did they send him here? Before he threw a fist at the gal, I thought he might''ve been some lost drunkard, but the immediate violence means that he was there for us. She wasn''t even ten words in when he decided he''d heard enough. I wonder where they got a man like that. Maybe he was Rhodesian, they have men twice the size of your average flurn there. Who would hire a man from all the way up in Rhodes to come down to Prymdor? What''d they need him for? I know that my reputation has probably spread across the city, but I didn''t think I''d go international so quick.

    Whoever these people were, I couldn''t afford to ignore them and whatever they had planned for the nation. If they wanted me taken care of, then they must be up to something that could bring down the very structure of this country.

    I didn''t end up having the conversation I wanted with the gal. We exchanged glances when I woke up, and she hadn''t said anything to Chief Rayner. I had to assume that I was in the clear, maybe she knew that something larger was at stake the same way that I did. While I could use her smarts for dealing with these nefarious plotters I knew that she was too valuable to risk on a mission like this. Maybe if she had a specific role to play I could bring her in, but I couldn''t be with her from day one. She was the kind of girl who would be frail when it mattered most, the kind of girl who you couldn''t trust to stay the same. Spontaneity, the death of every good public servant. I had left the eggs given to me by Chief Rayner on the table. She didn''t say a word, she must''ve had some understanding of what was happening to me.

    Maybe she knew to sit this one out. Chief Rayner could only deal with the issue if it was out in the open, but this new villain operated strictly in the dark. They all sat behind closed doors and made decisions about what was to happen to the people around me. I knew that they would trade this empire for gold if they were given the chance, and leave the rest of these citizens to pick up the scraps. I left the house immediately. If they had spies trained on me since last night I didn''t want them attacking my base of operations. I needed somewhere to stay for the day where they couldn''t openly attack me so I would at least have a chance at being safe. They may have infiltrated every crevice of this city already, but that''s a risk I had to take if I was going to stand any chance against them. It was either this or deserting the city for good if I wanted to keep my life.

    I found my way into the nearby cleric''s office. There were nurses out and about, running around the place frantically screaming about some new patient. I overheard some of what they were talking about. Apparently, a girl had come in earlier today and her face was a mess. What wasn''t covered by her own blood was either broken or bruised. They worried that they wouldn''t be able to return her face to what it was originally. I sat down in a nearby chair next to what I thought was the mother, who was lying her head down on the back of the chair with her eyes closed. She was beautiful, the very figure of an angel combined with a look that would start wars. Despite the fact that she was clearly in pain herself, from the bruises and scratches I could see scattered across her skin I still found her to be nothing but pretty. She looked like she was used to being roughed up though. Her sleeves were rolled up, her clothes weren''t particularly dainty. She was the kind of girl who could fool you with her appearance. Silky blonde hair that brought in an unsuspecting victim, made them believe that she could be controlled. She was the kind of girl who you''d buy a drink for only to realize that she had money for drinks with her the whole time. The kind of girl who would lead you on and still make you feel lucky. Above all else, she was the kind of girl who you''d throw your life away for. I wondered what kind of sick beast could''ve brought itself to harm such a pretty gal and their presumed child.

    I didn''t have time to spend swooning over this woman I had just met, just seen. I needed to figure out what my next step was for this new group of saboteurs. First of all, I needed to think of a good name. I''d be thinking about these people a lot while solving this debacle, I needed another name to refer to them by. What sounded ominous enough to make you afraid, but not so ominous that I couldn''t defeat it? I needed the name to strike fear among the public, but not strike fear and me. It needed to be a threat, but a threat that I could deal with. I got it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Windbreaker.

    I''d call them Windbreaker. It was perfect.

    For the time being I needed to figure out what I''d do about the first attack from Windbreaker. I didn''t know when they''d appear again, but I should set up a line of connections throughout the Prymdor streets so I had eyes and ears in every part of the neighborhood. I could offer the propagandists some time off on their sentence if they offered to keep watch for anything suspicious, maybe I could rummage through Chief Rayner''s drawers and find something of value that I could offer to local merchants. Either way, I needed some understanding of what was going on during these misty Prymdor nights. I couldn''t roam the streets by myself, I''d run the risk of bumping into whoever they''d send after me next. My thoughts were interrupted by a man who had approached me, he was trying to talk to me but I wasn''t focused on whatever he was saying. Eventually, he grabbed my attention after snapping his fingers in front of my face. What was more important than saving this city?

    "Hey there kiddo, do I know you?"

    Good opening question. He''s trying to gauge my ability to think fast. If I respond too coldly he''ll think that I''m on edge and he might become more inquisitive. If I respond with confusion he''ll know about my lack of wit, anyone would jump to take advantage of such a thing.

    "Are you from around here?"

    "Not necessarily."

    "Then I don''t think you would. I''m well known around this city, but my name hasn''t reached outside these walls just yet."

    "Well, aren''t you ambitious? What''s your name, I think I should write it down so I can say that I met you before you became an international sensation."

    "Flynn Holde, could you spare me the privilege of knowing your name?"

    "I''m Klein."

    "No last name?"

    "I don''t tell a lot of people my last name. Maybe I''ll write you a letter with it once you''re a topic at the dinner table."

    "You better prepare some parchment soon then. It won''t be long before my prowess is heard of throughout this continent."

    "Well, I''ll make sure to keep a ready supply."

    "Seeing as I''ve already amassed some local fame, don''t you think I deserve more from you? At least give me the initial."

    "M."

    "What?"

    "The first letter of my last name is M."

    "Why''d you give it up so easily? I thought I''d have to barter for a clue."

    "Well, no harm in giving you a single letter. If my last name was something egregious like Mthulapontian, there''s no way you could get all that from the letter M."

    "I''m well known for beating the odds around here, so I''d suggest you shy away from making bets so soon."

    "Well, if you do figure out my last name I''ll be quite impressed. Say, do you know the lady next to you?"

    "I don''t believe so. Do you?"

    "I do actually, longtime friend of mine. I had caught wind of the news that she and her daughter got into some kind of accident, so I came rushing over to check on her."

    "Well that means I''ve stolen your seat doesn''t it?"

    "The seat belongs to the clerics really, but I appreciate you handing it over to me."

    I got up and slightly bowed to him to exhibit my generosity. Maybe he could spread my name around outside Prymdor if I left a good impression on him. Someone who could travel in between cities from news alone is someone who had influence.

    "Say, you seem like a good kid."

    "Is that so?"

    "Don''t be so skeptical, I appreciated you giving me your seat, that''s all. I''ve been given a separate task by another friend of mine, well she''s actually related to this friend. You see I used to be in a party with all these people, we would go adventuring throughout the entire continent taking whatever quest came at us. The leader of our party was an asshole but we don''t talk about him anymore-"

    "What was the task that your friend gave you?"

    "Right, sorry. So direct, I''d think you were a child of Alena''s."

    "Alena?"

    "Don''t worry about it. Anyway, I''ve been told to go out and find some children who are prospects for this new academy we''re making. We plan to find anyone with a large amount of potential and offer them the opportunity to forge a new path for themself, one that they wouldn''t even be able to scrape the surface of if not for us. You seem like a kid with the potential that we''re looking for, so what do you say-"

    "Yes."

    "Huh?"

    "Yes. I agree. Is there a card, or something? A place I need to go to? A time?"

    "Yeah I have one on me-"

    "Can I see it?"

    "Alright, slow down, slow down."

    As soon as he brought the card out from his jacket I immediately ripped it out of his hand. I ran from the cleric''s office all the way back to Ms. Rayner''s house as quickly as I could. This was my big break, this was the opportunity to figure out what I could do with my life. Nothing else mattered. I burst through the door and immediately shoved the card into my pillowcase for safekeeping.

 Private? Aye (4)

    The rest of the day I spent indulging myself in fleeting fantasies about a future as some sort of scholar. Once I had actually read the card, I realized that I''d have to wait another five years before I could show up. Maybe I could run my luck at helping them set up the thing, but currently, I didn''t have a way to get to the address they gave me. The card just read "In the middle of the Aerdal-adjacent woods." I''d heard rumors about that forest. A lot of adventurers come back in from quests that lie on the outskirts, and they return with stories of horror. A beast coming out of the trees, and continuous screams heard but not seen, it was the stuff of nightmares. Even if I found a carriage to take me to the outskirts, I wouldn''t survive the journey to the academy that didn''t even exist yet.

    For the time being, I had to find a way to deal with Windbreaker. On the way back I ran into the pebble propagandists, and I brought them over to my side. They received a plea deal, reducing their sentence to community service which would be fulfilled by acting as my eyes and ears into Prymdor nightlife. The first night passed and I sent them off to corners of the neighborhood asking them to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. I went to sleep that night and had a dream I couldn''t describe.

    I was walking towards an academy, presumably the one I''d just been invited to. There was a collection of other students at my side, some of them had recognizable faces. I walked right past the current prince of Melantia. I couldn''t control my body, my mind was drifting along as if I were a spectator to an event I was in. I walked into a large room filled with seats. Time passed by like a carriage on the road, I couldn''t keep an ounce of focus. There was some muttering in the back of my head, words I couldn''t make out. I caught sounds here and there, fleeting melodies of information that I couldn''t retain. I sat in the chair and just watched a circumstance unfold, and as I finally closed my eyes to end this undue imprisonment I found myself in a new hellish environment.

    The sky was tainted red like a murder of some heavenly body stained everything the eye could see with its blood. I looked down after gazing at the oncoming storm to find nothing but chaos surrounding me. I was sat in the same chair, but the auditorium I had placed myself in was reduced to nothing but rubble. The same students who I had walked with just moments before were either lying on the ground or fighting for their lives. Fighting for their lives against what? A yellow bolt continually slipped past me, I only caught glimpses of this villainous figure which sought to ruin the futures of many. I finally caught a clear view of this agile creature, and I saw that it was no creature. I recognized it as one of the students who I was walking with just before. A shy, timid girl with hair the same color as the sun, oddly spiky to boot. She was surrounded by this odd glare, it didn''t resemble the sun the same way her hair did. No, the glare that I saw was the same one that confronted me on a stormy night, the one that showed up unannounced to try and scare me away. It took delight in the screams of man, you could say its whole purpose was to strike fear in us. I was no coward, and the next second I was rushing towards this figure. I knew I could take her on, I just needed to think faster. I needed to look for the outline, find the vision of a future that hadn''t happened just yet. A single moment of knowledge is all it would take, and there it was.

    My shining light.

    I awoke with my fist stretched like I had just hit someone. What the hell was that? Why was I having a dream about something that wasn''t supposed to happen for half a decade? Who were the other students there, and why was the prince of Melantia there? No, it made sense that he was there. If they were looking for kids with potential, he would likely be the first stop. What didn''t line up was the progression of events. Sure, accidents happen, but these were people who invited the best of the best. Am I to believe that they don''t have the ability to keep their own students under control? Should I even accept their invitation if they didn''t have enough resources to uphold their promises? I''d rather believe that what I had just seen was just a dream and that it would stay that way, but every instinct within me was screaming that I would be ignoring a clear omen if I allowed such naivete to guide my thinking. There wasn''t any worth in thinking about this now, I had to get up and go about the rest of my day. My life was not given to me so I could spend it contemplating on an unknown future while refusing to move.Stolen novel; please report.

    The gal was sleeping in the bed next to mine, when did she even get here? I hadn''t seen her at all the night before, but I heard her talking with Chief Rayner for a good hour at the least. I only caught one or two sentences but she was mad about something that had happened to me. Did she break the silence on our incident? I needed to make my way out of this base as soon as I possibly could if that was the case. No, if Chief Rayner knew about the attack on me she''d have mobilized other public servants for some sort of revenge operation. The fact that I hadn''t at the least been confronted about it yet meant the truth had still eluded her. I couldn''t trust that she would never find out though, and so I had to make haste in dispatching the ones who orchestrated the ambush.

    I opened the door to find my convicts, all three of them.

    "What did you find out? You must''ve gotten something."

    "Boy, do we? What a night man. When you told us to keep watch I thought we''d just stay out and enjoy ourselves while finding absolutely nothing, but you must have a real lead this time."

    "I always have real leads."

    "Yeah, sure. Can we come in?"

    "No, I don''t want the Chief to know that I sent you guys out to do this. She''d have my head on the nearest pike if she ever caught wind."

    "The Chief?"

    "So, what do you have for me."

    I started walking down the street to where the markets were. We needed to be masked in a larger crowd.

    "So Mark was out on the town last night right around here, the markets. Now usually everything is closed down, there''s nothing on the stands, but when he got down here he saw some candles lit around the middle stand right there."

    He pointed to the stand right in front of the fountain.

    "He saw four people. One of them was behind the stand, they were selling something. The other three were right in front of the stand so he couldn''t see what it was, but it gave off this weird glow. It was purple and green, I''ll tell you I had never seen those two colors together before."

    "You saw them?"

    "Yeah, we were all together."

    "Didn''t I tell you to watch over different parts of the neighborhood?"

    "Well none of us took you seriously, Flynn. Ever since you gave that big speech about justice we took you for some kind of lunatic. Anyways, we''re watching this sale of something happen when suddenly this idiot Reem trips over his own feet. He falls face first onto the ground, and of course, they heard that. They all turned around to face us and I saw two things. First, they were all wearing cloaks so we couldn''t see any part of them. Second, that thing that was glowing was some kind of small ball. The one in the middle held it in his right hand, and the glow was coming from inside of it. It peeked out through these little holes in the side, I couldn''t quite see them."

    "What happened after Reem fell?"

    "Well, they started walking towards us. They told us that they had a few questions, asked if our parents were around. We knew that this was the kind of stuff shady people do when we catch them in the act, so we all made a break for it back up the street. They chased us, and eventually, the one on the right caught up. Just as they were about to grab Mark, I dived into him. BAM! Tackled him straight to the ground, I heard him grunt, and I took the opportunity to continue running. After only a second, the other two had gotten to the one I knocked down, but they didn''t continue to chase after us. They picked him up and left immediately, he must''ve been hurt pretty bad. Get this: As they ran off, I saw a little piece of paper fall out of one of their cloaks. I rushed up to grab it before they could take it back, but they didn''t even look back at us."

    "A piece of paper? Do you still have it?"

    "Yeah man, you can take it."

    He handed me the slip of paper. It was crumpled up and half-wet, but the writing on it was clear.

    "Listen, I don''t know what you''ve gotten into now but I don''t want to run like that again. We''ll do some simple stuff for you if you need it, but I''m not gonna be your muscle. Capisce?"

    "You''ll know if I need you."

    "Great. See you around, Flynn."

    I looked back at the card while they were walking away.

    Next Kingfall meeting is on Drenadora in a sewer intersection underneath where the royal pathway and Reddle''s road meet

    Kingfall.

    Now that''s a good name.

 Private? Aye (5)

    Drenadora laid just two weeks away. A fortnight was all they left me to prepare. Did they know I''d come? They''d dropped the paper and hadn''t gone back to pick it up, so they could''ve completely forgotten about it. No, they would know it''s missing eventually. Even if they didn''t know that I''d be the one to show up, they would have to assume something would happen. Something that could through a trowel in the plans they already had set up for that day. They would incorporate this irregularity into the steps they''ll take to secure whatever goal they have in mind. I still hadn''t the slightest clue what they could be aiming for, but their name gave me a clue. Kingfall. I shuddered just thinking of the name. It was exactly what I was aiming for. Something filled with such unmatchable malice, something that would be seen as nothing but an attempt to incite chaos and disorder in the nation. Yet, I did not feel like these were foes who I wouldn''t find my triumph against. If they were going to make a plan more complex than the last, one intended to counter whoever they believed got a hold of that little slip of paper then I just needed to think even further ahead. I needed to act as if I were them and think about what they would be adding, and what extra measures they would be taking.

    If I were to try and destroy the capital, how would I go about it? They already had that part down, or at least I thought they did. Whatever that object was, that ball that was glowing in their hands, that must be the way they intend to achieve whatever they''ve set out to do. It must be some kind of weapon, that glow wasn''t like anything I''d ever heard of. Purple and green...

    Purple was a color I''d only heard of when it came to flame. A rumor surfaced a while back about some chef who had prepared a meal for the king that was the most exquisite he had ever tasted. Everything was cooked to perfection, the king himself couldn''t find a single issue despite his famously implacable palate. On top of that, the chef cooked it all within the hour. Various collections of different meats, all of which were on a grill for different amounts of time. Hoards of vegetables from local farms combined with fruits from the Aerdal forest. The king himself was so curious about how the chef managed to create such a meal for him within such a short time span, so he had one of his servants spy on the chef while he was making a course when he came back to the castle a second time. The server came back and he could not speak for days, when they finally returned him from the temporary trance all he could talk about was a purple flame, and how it was more beautiful than anything he had ever seen before. That same rumor spells out that the servant who spied on the chef went insane, obsessing over him everywhere he went. Eventually, the king had him jailed so he wouldn''t contribute to public detriment.

    As for green, I could only find a connection to the forest. Perhaps there was some metaphorical connection, the Aerdal forests are rumored to be the most dangerous throughout all of Mrothilyn, and so the designer of this thing chose to add a color along with one that had been held in high regard in terms of its capabilities, a color that was associated with a land known for nothing but the poor omens that it sent to any person wishing to traverse its vast collections of trees and swamps. Maybe this designer that Kingfall was relying on was a fan of the abstract, maybe he wanted to get some sort of message across. Regardless of this, I knew that whatever Kingfall possessed was capable of great destruction. There was no doubt that if I did not choose to intervene when their plan reached its climax they''d bring about the end of everything this nation and I hold dear. The safety of our citizens, the organization of our lives. My God, they were anarchists!

    Anarchism is a harmful ideology, it may as well be the work of nothing but evil. I wouldn''t be surprised if the creator of that collection of beliefs came out and said he liked to kick babies in the head just for the fun of it. The members of that little cult, the people who don''t like that there are rules you have to respect in this world, the people who take every little sleight as an attack on their freedom, they''d never had a single coherent thought. Can''t piss in the park? The monarchy needs to go. Can''t rob a stand in the market? The capital should burn. Can''t kill a man for screaming at me when I bump into him after walking while not looking where I''m going?

    Well, obviously this nation should be returned to the rubble which it rose from.

    They weren''t dangerous because of the thoughts they had in their screwed-up minds, no, they were dangerous because of the complete lack of thought. They wanted to live life on their whims and never look back, and they would cry and scream when this world wouldn''t let them. Usually, I didn''t have to pay attention to them. They''d yell at any passerby in a local square about how everyone''s lives were horrible, and how the solution was to rule over ourselves. They always liked to guise the violence that came with their brazen proposals with the promise of great fortune for anyone who followed them. But apart from whatever conscientious objection they staged for the day, you''d never see them fighting with the guards, and you''d never see any attempts on the king''s life. Well, the king is enough of a tough opponent himself. He didn''t earn his title through any hereditary connection. Anyway, any one of these people who got passed the mental gap of actually putting words into actions was someone who I couldn''t trust to know when to stop. Once they got to that phase, their beliefs didn''t matter anymore. It was as though they were running on pure adrenaline until they either failed so badly that they were forced to snap out of their deluded state, or they were killed.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    The only two people to ever pose a threat like that in the entire history of Melantia were the Ernstoff twins. Two lunatics who killed the queen and left the royal family in disarray. If the current king hadn''t been there to take the crown, their attempts at destabilizing the entire country would''ve easily succeeded. I heard that even after the king thwarted their second and third attempts at razing the capital, they tried to fight him. Their fight of course ended in a total and complete loss, and the last I heard they were spending their lives imprisoned under the royal palace. Some addendum to this story found its way to me a week back, it talked about how the king would sometimes bring them out to watch him host royal banquets.

    I was getting off-topic, what was my first step? I needed to get more information on the area that they would be meeting first. If I knew where they were going to meet, I could plan out whether I would hide and wait for an opportunity to ambush them, whether I would leave an anonymous tip with the guards, or whether I had to simply face them by myself without any sort of underhanded tactics. The slip of paper said that they would meet at an intersection of the sewers underneath the Royal pathway. I don''t know much about the sewer system of the capital, but I knew one way that I could get in.

    I headed down the street across the royal pathway until I was no longer in East Prym. I found this entrance while wandering around with the gal one night. Chief Rayner had told me to do some cleanup work around the base of operations, but I knew that she was just testing me, seeing if she could force me to do work that was well below my pay grade. I woke the gal up late in the night and asked if she wanted to come with me, and she did. Llora''s Ladle was a seemingly run-down food joint near the west wall of Prymdor. You would never see more than one or two people walk into at once, and the lights were never on. Scratches and broken glass were scattered across whatever was left of the inn, and there was a "We''re closed" sign that was vandalized to say "forever."

    Most people would be turned away by such a sight, but a savvy man such as myself knew that nothing in Prymdor was as it immediately seemed. The reason why the place never attracted a large amount of foot traffic was because it was an entry into the sewers. Various illegal activities took place down there, mostly low-level things like the sale of contraband, and betting organizations for various sporting events. There were even some people who were just there to have a drink after hours. Nothing there was worth my time to come all the way over just to spread the word of justice. The inside of the joint itself was run down as well, they wanted to seem as inconspicuous as they possibly could. The way I heard it, they let a Chidle just to destroy the place. I often wondered if they''d try to pull a stunt like that again if this entrance was ever discovered. Behind what was supposed to qualify as a bar was a trapdoor in the ground. There was a torn carpet over it, several things about this place were made so no random guard with too much free time could just wander in and ruin the whole operation they had going on down there. When you lifted the trapdoor, there was a staircase down to a large metal door. This was the entry to the sewers. When you got to the door, you had to knock and yell the password.

    "Free Bagadoth, he didn''t do anything wrong."

    The doors opened after I gave them the password and two large men stared at me as I walked past them into the sewers themselves. I never understood why that was the password, Bagadoth was infamous for instituting a system of slavery that lasted for a couple of centuries. I didn''t take people who were actively committing crimes to be the kind of people who would want that sort of order.

    With the long process of just getting in complete, I made my way through the winding hallways. Sometimes I would walk past rooms as various deals and other illegal activities were going on, and I''d remind myself that barging in would do no good, at least not at the moment. After what felt like an hour of walking through sewers that were ridden with, well, sewer smell, I heard the sounds of carriages above me, and I knew that I had finally made my way under the royal path. I had found the intersection referenced in the slip of paper.

 Private? Aye (6)

    I surveyed the intersection for any spots that I could hide in. The sun was right over my head, so I wasn''t navigating around in the pitch black. Wait, sunlight? There must''ve been an entry to this place above me. Maybe I could enter from the top and jump in when I wanted to ambush them. No, it was far too high. Even if I could slide down slowly I would still make some sort of noise, there were too many risks. Plus, once I got down I''d be right in the middle. They may have run away out in the open that night, but in this secluded space, they wouldn''t hesitate to attack some random person who had interrupted their meeting. Who knows what they''d do to a public servant? I needed to find my way into this area from my normal entrance. Any organization with half a mind would meet in the middle of the night, or somewhere near that time. These were anarchists though, they may object to the concept of time itself. I would show up early in the morning, if they said they''d meet on Drenadora, then likely they would meet at some point throughout the day.

    Wait, what if they were meeting at the start of Drenadora? If their plans started at midnight, the message to meet there would still be correct. It was settled, I would show up here and lie in wait for an ambush the evening before. Even if I''m wrong and I find myself waiting a whole day down here that''s better than being unprepared and letting them go through with their plans without a hitch. I couldn''t get the guards involved, this place was way too far from any entrance that I knew of. There was also no point in trying to fight them openly, if the weapon they had went off during a duel we''d all be turned to ash before I could say "Darn." or "What in tarnation?" I couldn''t see much of the place now, so I''d have to come back another time with a lamp in hand to scope out the room, they would probably have lamps with them or some other way of seeing clearly. I needed to hide in a place that they wouldn''t think to shine a light towards. I made my way back out of the sewers, but on the way back I noticed that nobody was around, at least I couldn''t hear them. I walked silently, maybe the guards had found the entrance to this part of the sewers. If they knew about Llora''s Ladle, I''d be struggling to find a new entrance so I could ambush Kingfall. Maybe they would too, but I couldn''t trust that they didn''t know more than your average delinquent. Once I got to the heavy metal door it was just swung open. The big guys who loved to act tough weren''t there glaring at me like they usually do. I didn''t have the time to question what could''ve happened, if I waited around here long enough I might be next. I came back out of the same trapdoor that I entered through but I didn''t see any guards outside. I made a break out of the run-down joint and sprinted back to East Prym. Maybe while I was scoping out the sewer intersection some of them came by and arrested everyone they saw. I should count my lucky stars if they had decided to do a thorough search right there and then I''d be toast. Thrown in jail, unable to interfere with the devious plots at hand. Maybe I got out before they decided to come back and do that search. Either way, I needed to check up on the Ladle again to see if I still had a way to get back to that intersection.

    As I was running back to my Base of Operations, I nearly got run over by a carriage on the royal pathway. The guards who were assigned to protect it got off of their horses, and they were screaming at the top of their lungs. Something about how I''d accosted the greatest royalty to ever live, only second to the royal family themselves. How "her excellence" wouldn''t stand for such a display of disrespect. What happened to the days when I could just walk around? These nobles don''t have any idea what I do to keep them safe. Though I guess if I went looking for their approval I wouldn''t be as good of a public servant. The carriage had been stopped for a while even after the guards had thrown me to the ground just to get me out of the way. What was with the exhibit of power, what were they even trying to prove? The carriage door opened and a young girl stepped out. She had straight dark black hair that only got just above her shoulders. It glistened in the sunlight, but it was odd to look at. It was almost as though she was taking in the light from around her, absorbing the things that got close to her. A woman who I thought was her mother exited with her, and she yelled at the guards to get the carriage moving. I looked at the girl for no longer than a second and she turned away. She must have been taught at a young age to not stare at a commoner. Whatever, it didn''t matter. I didn''t have the time to care about this obnoxious girl when the very future of, well, everything was at risk. She rushed back inside the carriage and closed the door as hard as she could. The carriage went back to going along the road, and the guards glared at me for as long as they possibly could before turning back and leaving me alone.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    I finally made my way back to the Base of Operations, and I immediately pulled out a piece of parchment. This is what I would use to fully plan out my sequence of events for Drenadora, and also what I would do in preparation. I knew about the location, but I needed to scope it out more with a lamp tomorrow. I didn''t even know if I could, so the first order of business was checking in on the entrance to the sewers after a day had passed to see if the city guards had ransacked the place for all it was worth. Finding a new entrance would be a pain, so maybe entering through the opening that allowed light to seep through was an option I had to consider. Wait, where was that opening? Getting to the intersection wasn''t easy, the sewers wound themselves up like a ball of wool, there was no way I could check every grate around the city, I''d waste all my time that way. What the hell was I going to do if the Ladle was closed off for good?

    No, I couldn''t spend the rest of my time worrying about this. If the Ladle was taken over by the guards, then the sewers would be too. That would mean Kingfall would have to meet somewhere new. But where would they meet? They definitely had a way of communicating with each other outside of slips of parchment, but even if they didn''t who knew when a golden opportunity like the one those propagandists got would come up again? They told me they wouldn''t participate anymore, so even the threat of increasing their sentence wouldn''t motivate them to do anything. I had to operate under the hope that the Ladle wouldn''t be closed down when I went to learn more about the sewer intersection tomorrow, otherwise, I''d just be a sitting duck thinking about all the ways my plans could go awry. At that point, I''d be better off grabbing the gal and leaving the city. Chief Rayner would object, maybe she''d even come after me, but that would be a risk I''d have to take.

    If the Ladle trapdoor is still open tomorrow and I find a way to get a good look at that room, I need to know what I''m going to do next. If I''m planning to ambush them, I need to think of that strategy first. I knew nothing about their combat abilities, maybe one of them was a mage even. I had to think wider, I needed to use strategies that would work on any target. My ability would have to be my knight in shining armor here. I knew the basics of fighting, I knew how to throw a punch or a kick. The rest would have to come from seeing that future, seeing what they were gonna do. They wouldn''t expect to go up against an opponent like me, hell, they''d probably be surprised that anyone could have a power like that. Even so, I needed to take care of them quick. This wasn''t the time to gloat or show off, for all I knew they could be highly trained assassins. That type of belief always took in people from the four corners of the world.

    Could I get the guards involved? I still was hung up on the sight I saw leaving the sewer system, what if the guards really had raided that place? If they did know about it, I could give them the slip and they would figure it out themselves. A little innocent act is all it would take, who wouldn''t believe a good samaritan who just happened to find a slip of paper with some interesting information? I''m far too young to know what any of these words mean. "Kingfall?" Is that the name of a new dish? This was my other solution, but it wasn''t surefire. If Kingfall was going for gold, they wouldn''t just waltz into this situation unprepared, they wouldn''t even consider this if they didn''t have the least bit of physical or mental prowess. Maybe they were grunts, but no good orchestrator sends the village idiot to carry out the pivotal moment. The guards possibly couldn''t stand against them, even if they tried to fight them away it''s likely that Kingfall would just rush through. If the goal was to just activate the weapon, who''s to say that they even needed to fight the guards? Who''s to say that they even needed to meet again? If they knew that someone was on to them, they could just carry out whatever plan of action they''d already made. If possible, I needed to deal with them myself, and I couldn''t let them escape my ambush.

    The final issue to confront was the circumstance where they brought the weapon with them to this meeting. I''m sure they''d use it against me, basically hold the whole city hostage if I didn''t get it away from them. Wait, if they don''t have the weapon, they don''t have a plan.

    This thing is likely one of a kind, and I don''t think it would come by cheap. Forget taking them down, if I could just wait for the right moment, I could take the weapon from whoever brought it with them and make a break for it back to the exit of the sewers.

    That was the piece I was missing, that was the plan.

 Drenadora

    If there was any lord above I''d shake his hand right now. Sure, I''m a brilliant man myself and I like to take credit for my own successes, but if anybody asks about how I made it to this part of my plan I''d be hard-pressed to avoid admitting that there was absolutely divine intervention. Who would''ve thought that the guards would just drop the investigation on the Prymdor sewer system after a couple of days because of a few rat bites? It seemed too good to be true.

    I didn''t doubt that Kingfall could be a part of this. Whoever was pulling their strings didn''t want any interruptions, but the fact that I haven''t gotten my rat bite equivalent means they don''t know about me yet. The day had come when I''d make my way into the sewers I''d have to find comfort in for the next day. The hours with sunlight were wasted running over the plan for how exactly I''d ambush them. I hadn''t had a second encounter or heard any new news about them or their plans over the course of the last two weeks so I still hadn''t a clue about who would have the weapon on them. "The middle one" meant nothing when I was pretty sure that nobody in their right mind would stick with a specific organization of how they stand. Well, they might not be in their right mind. Regardless, it was safer to sit and watch. Even if I was ninety-nine percent sure that I knew who I needed to snatch the weapon from, that one percent could be the difference between dying and living. It wasn''t a risk I even needed to take unless I was as crazy as the lunatics I was debasing. Chief Rayner was particularly generous that day, she had cooked up quite the meal for me and the gal. I wasted no time devouring my portion, I would need as much food as I could get. Sure, I could survive without food for a good month if I needed to, but I wanted to be as close to a perfect state as I could if I would be waiting there for a full day, I hadn''t gotten the chance to work with my ability. Couldn''t just show up to the local market brawl, who knows what the Chief would''ve done to me? Anyway, the point is I scarfed down any food that I could without annoying Chief Rayner too much, but I didn''t escape her questions about why I was loading up.

    The time that wasn''t spent eating was used to think out the fantasies of my success. I had spent the last two weeks driving myself to insanity imagining all the ways in which I could fail, I think I owed it to myself to daydream just a little before this hellish sewer interaction actually happened. The sun set and I ran out of the house to find a good view. The red glare of dusk peeked over the Prymdor walls, and the rest of that fading sunlight was shut out when the gates were closed. The rings of the sun that prevented me from getting the key to my illustrious future of fame and renown finally ran away under the tip of the walls, and I knew it was time to find my way to the sewers. I had settled on making my way over there right after the sun had set, if even one of them was punctual and it was true that they were meeting directly at midnight then I had to compensate for that. I couldn''t be caught by one of the trio just waltzing in, the entire plan would fall to pieces.

    I ran faster than I ever had before, I rushed straight past the royal pathway. They didn''t allow carriages in or out at night so I wouldn''t run the risk of crashing into another snob. It only took me another few to get over to the Ladle. The guards had left it for scraps after their examination that was cut short a week back, and the nightlife didn''t take long to get back to it, and get it up and running. From what I heard, the guards dealt with all the rats while they were down there, that''s how whatever disease they were spreading got around the whole of them so quickly. I''d have to hope that there were no rats left, but I didn''t have any skin exposed, too cold for that these days. The rug that attempted to hide whatever was left of the trapdoor was long gone, so I just made my way down the stairs to the heavy metal door. I didn''t even have the time to give them the password, they had just opened the door. Maybe they were less wary after the infection had spread around the capital, they probably thought nobody who wanted to stop whatever operations they had going on would risk getting infected. Hell, if the entire capital wasn''t at risk from another thing I wouldn''t be coming down here at all, so I can''t blame them for loosening up.

    Drenadora, huh? The day that we chose to devote to the legend of the first king of Melantia. I never believed that he stopped a dragon with a pinky finger, but if the first king was anything like the one that we had now I wouldn''t have any reason to doubt his strength. Hell, rumors that he was some sort of reincarnation of Faerlorn may as well have secured his spot on the throne. That, and the public displays of violence against those anarchists. They had some sort of cruddy organization name too, something like "The Resetters."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Stupid, right? They named themselves that and nobody knew why. Whenever they would riot in the streets they''d always rant about how they were saving the world from some horrible future. I wonder if they ever considered that burning down cities doesn''t save anything. They would always scream at the current king about how he would cause this world to disappear one day, but his consistent victories against them eased the public out of suspicion. Well, anyone would be suspicious if some guy just came in and started running an entire country after the previous monarch had been assassinated. I wonder if he ever considered himself lucky for how this whole ordeal turned out for him. Rumors alone would''ve gotten him far, but there were nay-sayers up until the Cardinal of Volden stepped in and supported his rise to power. If he hadn''t been attacked repeatedly by people who were villains in the public eye, maybe the Cardinal wouldn''t have interfered. I wonder what the nation would look like now if it had to go on without a monarch for any longer. Those anarchists would''ve gotten their little experiment in Melantia, the guards during that time were largely unorganized and split into their own factions. Eventually, "A Party Without A Name" stepped in and kept all of the main cities under control single-handedly while the current king put out fires all across the royal cabinet.

    Anyway, quite the day for them to choose to meet. Maybe they didn''t have a good sense of time but hadn''t they ever heard of a calendar? We were in the middle of Pluto, they couldn''t have left that on the slip instead? Well, it didn''t matter now, I had found my way back to the room at the intersection under the royal pathway. When I came back the first time after the guards had cleared, I found a little hole in the corner of the room that led to some secluded area that appeared to be dug out. I hadn''t brought any light with me, so I had to feel around for it. The texture of this opening was different than the normal sewer walls, so I didn''t have that much trouble besides slamming my head right into the corner when I tried to duck into the opening. If they did check back here out of curiosity, they''d have to crawl through the opening to get to the larger room, so I''d have plenty of time to attack them while they would try to fit through. For the time being, I got situated in my new little enclosure. It wasn''t coated in piss and other unknown liquid so the same stench of the sewers wasn''t in this area. I was sitting against the wall just thinking about the fanfare of the parades that would be organized in my honor. All the people of Prymdor would line up on the sides of the roads just like they did for the nobles, even those snobs would have to acknowledge me after this. I would walk on by without guards right next to me, but the public wouldn''t rush at me and scream in my face. They wouldn''t accost me or try to stop me in my path to get whatever they wanted out of me. No, they''d wait on the sides of the road out of respect for me. They would recognize all the good I had done for this city, for this country. They would tell their friends all about how the great Flynn Holde worked his way up from a nobody to an international sensation. I''d go to that school and find the guy who gave me my invitation and finally learn his last name.

    All I had to worry about now was the amount of time I''d been waiting in this room. It was probably around midnight now, while navigating through the sewers happened quickly this time it felt like I had been in this little opening for longer than I could imagine. The smell of the sewer had crept back in through the hole, which meant that the smell of sewage that was now combined with rat corpses wouldn''t leave my mind for the next week after this, but I''d have to put up with it. Just as I was getting into a semi-comfortable position I heard footsteps back in the main room. I peeked through the opening to see who had come in, I assumed they''d have brought something to help them see. The lamp they must''ve brought along allowed me to see their silhouette, but it was just enough to make out the cloaks they were wearing. Sure, there were other people who wore cloaks in Prymdor, but who else would both wear cloaks and show up to this intersection at this time of night? It had to be them. All three of them had walked into the room, or at least I assumed they had, I heard three sets of footsteps.

    "Well then, Kingfall. Let''s start this meeting."

 Drenadora (2)

    "You really needed to drag us all out here at midnight just for this meeting? You know that the slip of paper you left behind just said that we''d meet on this day, it didn''t even say when. If you hadn''t sent us another message you would just be waiting here in this disgusting sewer intersection."

    "I had to do it this way. We couldn''t risk anyone coming here before us and trying to interrupt this meeting. Those kids were curious enough to go roaming around the city at that time, who''s to say they wouldn''t come here as well? I dug out a whole little safe area for us in case anybody comes by as well. Do you want to lie down on the executioner''s block?"

    "How did you get the guards out of here anyway? I heard that some kid who had one too many beers was roaming around near the Ladle boasting about how cool he was, and then got taken in for questioning. I came around another day and saw the city guards swarming the place, so that meant they must''ve gotten into the sewers too. Not even Bagadoth''s Gate would stop the whole lot of them."

    "Kronifel had some spare lab rats for me to use. They looked like they would rather be put out of their misery than live another second, so I released them into the sewers. Whatever collection of diseases they had is now in every single guard that searched this place."

    "I don''t think some random soldier who''s just doing his job deserves to be inflicted with the modern-day equivalent to the White Death. It''s not like they support the royal family, they just need food for themselves and their families."

    "How kind of you. I''m sure they''ll remember you as a good samaritan while they watch your head get cut off for treason."

    "If you two argue about the right way to get to the point we''re at now we''ll get knocks on our doors from the guards before we even get the chance to arm our weapon."

    There were three voices, all with the same high-pitched male tone. There was some kind of magic at work here. Well, I couldn''t dismiss the possibility that they were triplets. What if they were inspired by the Ernstoff Twins because of their similar birth scenario? But what would their name be? "The Kingfall Triplets"? No, that doesn''t sound good. The word "triplets" just doesn''t have the same effect as "twins," one makes you think "deadly duo" and the other just makes you think "posse." For the sake of my greatest solve yet not being dedicated to idiots who don''t know how to think of a good naming scheme I''m gonna believe that there''s some spell masking whatever their true voices are.

    "I have the weapon with me right now, I couldn''t leave it back at the house unattended to."

    "What? Why would you bring it with you? What if you trip and fall? Does the risk of it getting stolen mean more than the risk of us getting blown to high hell?"

    "Mordr! What did I just say?"

    "I don''t care about your little pacifist shtick, I''d rather not be working with someone who makes stupid decisions like these."

    "You''re right, I did choose the risk of dying over the risk of our entire plan failing. If we die here at least we won''t have to beg for scraps after spending everything on a plan that went to shit because I decided to leave the crux of it someplace where I''m not."

    "Speak for yourself, if this falls through I''ll just go back to Verile and stay with my family for a while."

    "Mordr I''m going to kill you before the bomb has a chance to go off if you say another word."

    So it was a bomb. I heard mumbles that sounded like begrudging acknowledgment.

    "This sewer system leads us right under the royal palace. The only catch is that to get the bomb there we have to carefully arm and through it down a pipe that''ll eventually reach directly under the main ballroom. Draeca, I think you can shoot it with the right amount of force to get it right where we want it, but if you use too much it''ll either go too far or blow up right on the spot."

    "When are we going to detonate it?"

    "My plan right now is about a month from today. I''ll find some substitute for the weapon that I can give you to practice. I got an old schematic of the Prymdor Sewer System from a couple centuries back when it was being made, so as long as it hasn''t changed from then I''ll be able to tell you how far you need to get it."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    "Who''s to say they haven''t changed it in a whole two hundred years?"

    "I''m gonna go with the three holy wars, two assassinations, and six calamities."

    "They could care a lot about sewage."

    "Sure. Anyway, do you think you''ll be able to use your affinity that precisely?"

    "Probably."

    "As for you, Mordr, well I don''t really have much of a plan for you. Up until our last meeting, we''ll still need you around, but unless you have a role you want to play for the execution I''d suggest you go back to that family of yours."

    "Of course, you''d suggest that now."

    "All I''m saying is that I don''t think you''d want to just sit by the gates anxiously waiting for us to succeed. Do you have an idea of what you would day if you stuck around?"

    "I''m guessing you''ll hold the bomb in place while Draeca prepares to shoot it down the pipeline?"

    "Yeah."

    "I''ll tag along in case anything new develops. The guards could get cured by a miracle, they would not wait to continue searching the sewers if that happens."

    "Alright."

    "What''s the plan for getting the king? If even a single story about him is true, all this will do is blow up the palace. He''ll be unscathed."

    "I haven''t found an answer for that yet. If we can actually kill the king that would be a miracle itself, but blowing up the royal palace and surrounding area would be chaotic enough to send the capital into ruin for a week at least. Even he wouldn''t be able to run the country with a good third of the city reduced to rubble."

    "Do they even use half of the space that they took for that place?"

    "You''re preaching to the choir here. I don''t think any of us need to be convinced that this is the right course of action."

    "Well, I can still despise them with people around me who agree. Makes for better company than any adventurer''s guild."

    "If this succeeds, Kingfall will amass large amounts of new followers. What will we do with our infamy?"

    "We''ll need to hide away for the first two months after. Do you think we could flee to Elknid?"

    "Elknid is supposed to be our next target. I told you about the Night of Unmet Prayers didn''t I?"

    "And we can deal with the ongoing power crisis after our faces aren''t plastered over every wall throughout the continent. Blowing up a third of the royal capital isn''t something that other nations will just bat an eye to."

    "Where would we even stay in Elknid then? I assume you thought of the fact that a good part of the country is basically undiscovered."

    "How hard could it be to set up a little cabin with my affinity? None of the forests there compare to the one everyone knows here, we would just have a slow life of hunting and farming."

    "That would work for Jade, but you and I both have family. After the first week of searching for us, they''ll go after them and get whatever information they can beat out of your relatives."

    "I''ll call it retribution for kicking me out of the house at sixteen. Plus, they don''t know anything about me anyway. Eventually, they''ll bring a mage in who can tell the Vastros that nobody is lying to them. You never tell us anything about your family, so I can''t help you with that part."

    "I was more worried about you, my family is probably a month away from the grave right now, so they''ll either be dead when the Vastros get to them or be killed during interrogation."

    "You brought up a good point, what will we do with our new followers? It will have been a while since the Resetter movement had people openly supporting them."

    "I wouldn''t go that far. Maybe behind closed doors, they''ll talk about us, but whoever takes the reigns of Melantia will start by making us a crime to even speak about."

    "Well we''re talking about the distant future here, they can''t restrict the entire country like that forever, they probably wouldn''t be able to reliably enforce that for a whole month."

    I had slowly inched myself through the opening in the corner to get back into that room, but I was struggling to stay silent. Every single word that came out of their mouths fed my rage. How could these people just stand there and talk casually about ruining the lives of thousands? They had the nerve to plan for the future, to talk about where they''d go to destroy everything next. What could have possibly happened in these people''s lives to make them this insane? What, your parents kick you out for being a deadbeat so you turn to reducing everything around you to rubble? You grow up without parents so you try to inflict whatever pain you experienced on everyone else? What was the matter with the third one? He just disregarded his entire family because they were old.

    This trio was no longer a mystery to me, they weren''t some solve that I''d take pride in. I couldn''t care less about the credit at this point if I''d tried my hardest. Every bone in my body screamed for justice, every single instinct was pointing towards the sheer madness of the people who sounded like they were having a casual discussion of blowing up an entire third of the city over tea. No, that didn''t sound like what they were doing, that was what they were doing. Some sort of immense apathy allowed them to think like this, some inspired utter lack of care for all life broke the constraints of common sense within them. This wasn''t some sob story about poor children who were never cared for, these were people who deserved to starve in a jail cell never getting to see the light of day for as long as they could hold out.

    I removed myself from the opening as quietly as I could, and just as they held the lamp they had brought with them in my direction I leapt at the cloak with that same purple and green glow that the Laudle brothers had described to me.

 Drenadora (3)

    I dove for the spherical object, but my fingers slipped right as I got near the third of the trio holding it. I managed to get it out of his hands just before he was able to respond. He threw a punch aimed down at me, but I was too busy running after the weapon. It was rolling off towards one side of the room, but every time I tried to put my hands around it it would slip. Eventually, it hit the wall and stopped rolling and I was able to pick it up. It was like the whole thing was coated in grease, I had to coddle it like a newborn so it wouldn''t fall to the ground again. By the time I had stood up, my back was against the wall and I watched as all three of them had some different colored aura around them. Two of them were different shades of blue, but one was dark purple. They all held out their arms like they were going to chant a spell at me, summon some projectile to throw my way. They couldn''t though, for some reason they couldn''t. They were willing to level a third of the city but they wouldn''t take the shot? It must be the weapon. I have some sort of leverage against them that I''m not aware of.

    "This is your prized possession, right? This little ball of destruction?"

    "I don''t know how you got in here, but if I promise you a lollipop will you give that to us and go back to your bed? You should be asleep right now."

    "Don''t feign affection. If I wasn''t here stopping you right now, I''d be one of the people you''d kill in a month."

    "Why would we ever want to kill you?"

    "You really think that you can stop us?"

    "Mordr!"

    "Take the shot then. I assume all three of you have been trained to kill, you all look like you''re just itching to get rid of whatever comes between you and total chaos."

    "Listen, this is all just a big misunderstanding. What you heard was a single part of a whole deal that would take a while for me to explain. I could help you get it another time, I know a great caf�� near here, I''ll give you the address."

    "How can you talk about this city like you''re not going to blow it up?"

    "I didn''t know you were stupid and deaf."

    "Mordr, it''s a kid!"

    "What? I assume he was listening to our conversation. If he hears that we''re going to blow up the palace and he thinks that we want to blow up the entire city then clearly there''s some sort of problem with his head."

    "Are you stupid? There is no city without the capital."

    My voice was shaky. I couldn''t stop myself from hyperventilating. I felt this indescribable anger towards the people in front of me. One of them was trying to act like some sort of hidden saint while the other took pride in their depravity. Neither of them acted in a way that made them more just, that made them seem more reasonable. There was no way to make them seem more reasonable, that is what was so aggravating about them. They were irredeemable. One-dimensional.

    "Of course, that''s what you''d think. I can''t blame you, you''re just a normal Melantian kid who''s been told the same as everyone else."

    "So what, you''re right because you''re different?"

    "I''m right because I''m right. If you''d let me finish I could get it through your thick skull why."

    "I don''t need to listen to you, I''ve already listened to you enough. What, you think it''s not fair that nobles get more than the rest of us do? Tough luck. Some people are born into families that have power, some people aren''t."

    "So that''s it? We just say "Oh well!" if we''re born in the slums and abandoned in a random alley?"

    "It''s not even like these nobles leave us to die. Sure, they act like assholes towards us but that''s because of people like you. The commoners who want to take their frustrations out on the world. We live in a city that is run entirely by them, our safety from the other nations, the walls that protect us from people like you are held by them."

    "That''s the bare minimum. Don''t you get it? All they have to do so that we don''t march into the palace and chop their heads off is build walls around us and say that we''re safe. Everyone has been so conditioned into believing that their piss is nothing but a pleasant rain."

    "Mordr, what the hell are you saying?"

    "He gets the point. Don''t you?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Everything you say sounds equally crazy."

    "What I''m saying is, the royal family could take a shit in your mou-"

    "Stop being so damn graphic, he can''t be a day over twelve."

    The third one decided to finally chime in.

    "Listen, I don''t expect you to understand either of them, but I do think that you get the situation you''re in. What''s your dream ending here, we just walk away and leave you be? You heard us talk about how much that weapon you''re holding cost."

    "Yeah, that''s why you''re all holding off right now. I assume if you try anything this will go off and ''blow us all to high hell''"

    "Don''t be silly. You saw it fall out of my hand and it didn''t explode then. We''re not killing you on the spot because you''re a child. I''m sure you have a mother who will wake up wondering where you are."

    "I''m sure she''d understand."

    "You sound a lot like Mordr right now. Acting like your family doesn''t care about you, or that they''ll think logically instead of emotionally when they find your corpse. People are complicated, but I can tell you one thing and it''s that nobody truly acts that way."

    "So what if I die? I''ll have to suffer through years of finding even a semblance of a life after you tear this empire to shreds."

    "I don''t expect you to believe us when we say that there will be peace after the royal family falls, but would you believe that any sort of living is better than dying?"

    "So getting tortured around the clock is better than being put out of your misery?"

    "Don''t be disingenuous. In the worst-case scenario, you have to hunt for your food and build a mud hut. If what we''ve been told about your ability is even halfway true I don''t think you''d have any issue providing for you and that girlfriend of yours."

    "So it was you who sent that grunt."

    "No, actually. That night you ran into an old business partner of ours who is quite paranoid. He had just killed someone in the ally nearby and thought that when you hesitated, even for a second, it was because you knew."

    "So you all talk to each other often? Does he know about your little plan?"

    "Let''s not get off-topic. Do you really believe that we''d kill the royal family just for a kick? That we''d go to all this trouble because we find this sort of thing fun?"

    "I don''t care about why you''re doing this, there''s no reason that you could give that would justify blowing up a third of the city."

    "You keep phrasing our plans in the worst way. You want to see what we''re doing as this immoral thing to the extent that you''re ignoring the actual reasoning presented to you."

    "I didn''t realize there was a way to sugarcoat blowing up a third of the city."

    "Listen, I really don''t want to hurt you. Getting the weapon away from you wouldn''t be that hard, I could''ve done it any time after you knocked it out of my hand. I know that you''re someone who loves solving mysteries, someone who cares about "justice," or at least your version of it. You seem like a kid who will come to realize that even a fraction of what we''re saying is true, and you''ll look back at this moment and think about how you made the right choice by giving the weapon back to us."

    "Oh please, you''re not playing nice, that''s something the other one would do. Draeca, was it?"

    "Listen, you don''t have a past too different from ours. Before Ms. Rayner took you in, you were on the streets too, right? How much do you think your life could have changed if you were never left to die in the first place? All we want to do is prevent anybody else from going through what we did, to make sure that they get the hand reaching out to them that we never got."

    "You''re right, I was on the streets of Prymdor as a young child, but that doesn''t mean I''m right to kill people who had a good early childhood. None of us have the right to-"

    "Gods, shut the fuck UP!"

    The entire room went silent. Even Draeca didn''t scold him this time.

    "You sit here and talk to us about morals? You? A twelve-year-old who likes to dress up and role-play as some sort of heroic figure? You think that the world is so simple because you''ve stopped some kids from throwing pebbles at a window? And the nerve of you to act as though you''ve experienced anything! As if you''re not here quoting a book or reciting some lines that you thought of while taking a bath! Do you think that it''s just that easy to choose to stick to your principles every time?"

    "No, bu-"

    "There are people in this city who are starving in this very second. People who are coming close to tearing into their own skin just so they won''t want to lay themselves down on the royal pathway. You get to imagine that you''re some star who''s destined to save the world while they have to imagine that they''re eating a decent meal just to stay sane! Kids, who are half your age, are going through more than you ever will in a lifetime! Do you understand how lucky you were? Do you? To get taken off the street by a lady who had recently lost her own kids? One-in-a-fucking-million!"

    He was hyperventilating too. I could hear it in his voice, he felt the same anger as me.

    "You stand there and lecture people who have tried every other solution, who have contemplated every other future! You stand there listening to us plead with you for some sort of understanding and yet you stick your fucking chin up and act like we''re depraved fools!"

    He reached his hand out with an open palm.

    "I''m done. I''m done with the pleading, I''m done with the sympathy, and I''m done with asking someone who hasn''t even started to grow up to be anything but stubborn. Hand me the bomb right now or I''ll come over there and slam your head into the wall so many times that you''ll be unrecognizable."

    And I did. Except I threw it at him. And it hit him in the face.

    "You fucking brat!"

    Right before he lept at me, I heard a new sound coming from the weapon. The other two must have realized that it meant something because they immediately dashed back.

    "Mordr! The bomb is armed!"

    It was too late. He had lept on me and started to strangle me. His hands were placed around my throat, squeezing like he was trying to show off his grip strength. The bomb hit the floor and I saw parts of it immediately fly off in all directions. As he choked whatever life he could out of me before we were all vaporized, I rejoiced in my success. I fought through the lack of air to smile one last time.

    That purple flame truly is beautiful.

 Freya

    A flick on the head was all it took. I woke up in a bed that was way too big for one person, in a room that was way too bright, beige, and gold for any reasonable person. A kid who looked no more than a few months younger than me was the one who had rudely awakened me from whatever sleep I managed to get. When did I fall asleep? The last thing I remember was that bastard trying to choke me.

    "Hey, are you alright?"

    "Well, I think so."

    I tried to get up from the bed, but my elbows gave out from under me. Even the slightest movement incited excruciating pain. My voice didn''t hurt, but it was raspy. It must''ve given out after screaming at them for so long. I tried to position myself against the pillows behind me. If I just laid down flat I would sink into this mattress that was way too smooth. This room was a combination of things that no normal person would be used to. Why would a noble pick me up off the ground? That''s where I assume I was, at least, though I could''ve been sent across the city by the explosion. Maybe it was some sort of anti-building bomb. Did it just not hurt people? That sounds ridiculous.

    "My sister brought you here, she said that she met you a few days ago."

    Who had I met a few days ago? I''d been holed up in the Base of Operations for the last two weeks, and if I wasn''t there I was out underneath the roads. There''s no way I could''ve run into a noble.

    "It wasn''t a few days, it was a couple of weeks!"

    A scream in the form of a whisper rang out from behind the door, a girl with silky black hair that stretched just above her shoulders with bangs that rested on her eyebrows. She had a timid figure, her head was noticeably shaking while she peeked into the room, how was she managing to stay upright? She snuck into the room, either that or she was just moving oddly as if she were invisible. Awkward stares from me and her brother made her dash over to the side of the bed and stand behind one of the poles. Why the hell did this bed have a pole? Why did this bed have a roof? A little curtain draped atop whoever is sleeping in it? Is the room itself not enough, with every other surface coated with gold and other bullion?

    "Yeah, I recognize her, her carriage almost ran into me a couple of weeks ago."

    "She told me that. She actually was very worried about you because she thought you looked very cu-"

    The girl screamed unintelligible noises to interrupt whatever her brother was about to say. She had come out from behind the pole to say this and was posed weirdly. She immediately stood up straight and held her hands behind her back while looking away from me.

    "Sorry about that, he likes to tell lies to strangers who we bring to our house."

    "You bring strangers into your house often?"

    "No-"

    "Yes! We like to help people who are hurt."

    The brother looked like he was prepared to speak again, but she glared at him and he shrunk away, leaving us in the room alone.

    "Well, that''s very kind of you. Where am I? Am I still in the city?"

    "Yes, you''re in the Royal Palace. Me and my family are staying here for a few weeks."

    "What time is it? How long was I asleep for?"

    "It''s the night of Drenadora. A big explosion happened last night right in the middle of the royal pathway between here and the gates, it destroyed a few of the buildings nearby. My family was coming back from our night at the Stargazer Inn in the morning and when we got back here I saw that you were in a cell being watched over by the guards."

    I wonder if that bastard protected me. Maybe because he was on top of me he shielded me from the explosion. They seemed powerful, so if he was durable enough he could''ve taken the entire explosion leaving me unharmed. I hoped that was the case.

    "Do you know if they found anyone else near the explosion?"

    "No, just you."

    Maybe he was reduced to ash. If that bomb was truly as powerful as they were talking about I don''t think anybody could survive. The other two must have run as fast as they possibly could before the weapon hit the floor of the sewer. By this point, the girl had been inching closer to me for a few minutes and was now sitting on the bed right next to me. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Listen, I''m very thankful that you allowed me to rest here but I need to get back to my house, I''m sure my caretaker is very worried about me right now."

    "''Caretaker''?"

    "Like my mother. Sort of."

    She reached for my right hand and clasped it in between her palms.

    "I''ll get you back there as soon as possible!"

    She immediately backed away. She actually backed away so quickly that she fell backward onto the floor. I immediately got up from the bed myself to help her up but I had forgotten that I was still immobile. I fell face-first onto the floor and the rest of my body slithered across the bedsheets down to where I was. I tried to reposition myself but my arms wouldn''t listen. I heard faint sobs near me that broke into the sound of someone crying like they were at a funeral.

    "Why did you do that?"

    I opened my eyes to see the same girl wiping her tears with her sleeves, for the short moment I was able to see her face I noticed that her eyes were bloodshot. I struggled to reach my hand out to comfort her and ended up settling with placing it on her knee. What should I say? I''ve never had to comfort a crying kid before. No, this is good practice. When I''m famous I''ll have to comfort a lot of children, so I need to learn basic things to say.

    "Hey, stop crying."

    She continued wailing.

    "Listen, it may be your fault but it''s alright. People make mistakes all the time."

    None of my lines were working, were children always this difficult? Is there some candy around here that I can promise her if she''ll just sit me upright?

    "Listen, I''m not mad. I am kind of in pain right now so if I promise that you''re forgiven can you please sit me up?"

    She stopped crying shortly and positioned me against the side of the bed. She rushed over to the front of the bed and I could still hear her crying softly.

    "It''s alright. I''m fine. I''m not hurt because of you, whatever happened in that explosion ruined my entire body. Listen, I''ll probably be resting here for the night since I can''t move an inch, and then I''ll leave in the morning. I''ll have to think of a good explanation for why I was gone for a day and a half but I''ll find a working one eventually."

    She broke through tears to give me a response.

    "Where do you live?"

    "In East Prymdor."

    She didn''t continue crying, instead she crawled back so I could see her. Her eyes were still red and the area around her eyes swelled, but she looked worried.

    "East Prymdor? I heard about something bad that happened there."

    "What happened?"

    "Apparently some house got set on fire, but it''s this really strong fire, and the guards haven''t been able to put it out. It''s been raining for most of the day and I heard that it''s still going."

    I rushed for the door. My muscles would have to cooperate, my limbs would have to move. I slammed the doors open with my shoulder and started sprinting down the hallway.

    It couldn''t be them. There''s no way it could be them. Fires happened all the time in Prymdor. Did they? No, they didn''t. If they did, we''d have better ways of putting them out. The fire could''ve been caused by lightning, and there''s no way that lightning just randomly hit Ms. Rayner''s house. There''s no way it was them.

    I heard guards screaming at me from behind me, and the same girl''s voice seemed to be screaming too but it wasn''t at me. It felt like I was running for way too long, how big was this palace? How far did this hallway go? I finally made it to a banquet hall and saw another family sitting down at a table. They all stood up and looked at me as I dashed through the big double doors and out of the palace itself.

    It was pouring outside, I could barely see more than a few feet ahead of me, and the rain was so thick that it was close to bruising me. I tripped over myself several times, nearly planting on the ground again. My entire body was screaming at me, but I couldn''t give in now. Whatever ounce of energy was left, whatever I could bear to move without breaking I needed to move. The guards at the gate initially rushed towards me, but I heard the same girl''s voice behind me and they instead ran to the side of the gates. They spun the cranks on both sides of the gate and the gate itself rose so that I could pass through it.

    I had been near the royal palace many times before so I knew the quickest way to get back to the house. First right and up the hill. I slipped on the floor and fell into a puddle of mud and gravel. When I got back up I heard several things crack, and the mud stuck to my skin and clothes. It was cold to the touch, and it spread down my cheek. It didn''t matter. I didn''t have the time to wipe it off. I sped through alleys and slammed into unsuspecting delinquents, but luckily they didn''t chase after me. Right before I got out of the final alley that led me to my home I tripped and fell one final time. I couldn''t move my legs anymore, so I dragged myself across the ground. Mud and rain ruined whatever clothes I was wearing, and I could barely manage to keep my head up so I was looking ahead of me.

    I barely managed to get out of the alley, and I raised my head to look at what I hoped would be a house drenched with rain, maybe some of the tiles would be falling off of the roof. Instead, I was greeted with that inescapable bad omen. Ms. Rayner''s house was burning down in front of me. Guards were running up and down the hill next to the house carrying pails of water, throwing them all over the house. They did nothing, the thing that the girl had described was true. That fire just wouldn''t pass. I couldn''t think straight. I couldn''t see straight. I felt like I would die on the spot, crushed underneath the rain. All I could do was pray that she went to heaven. Usually, whenever I''d call for her she''d get really angry. She''d come storming up to my room and tell me to not do that again, that she wasn''t my maid. She always acted angry but she would come every time. How angry would she be now? Maybe more than before, but I think she''d be happy to see that I''m okay.

    She must''ve escaped. She was smart. She was fast. She wouldn''t just sit by as someone set the house on fire, she wouldn''t just wait inside. She must be helping the guards put the fire out, she''s probably about to come up the hill with a pail of water herself. Maybe she''s behind me, watching the guards try to put out the fire, hoping that they''ll succeed, wondering where I am, if I''m safe. She has to be alive, I know that she''s alive.

    I screamed her name into the overwhelming sound of flames before me.

    She didn''t respond.

 One More Shot

    "If you make one more loud sound I''ll have you expelled!"

    I had already made it to my next class by the time she finished her sentence.

    "You''re late, Celio. How do you manage to be so late?"

    "Blame Miss Daoust, she was the one who kept me in her classroom."

    "She kept you in her classroom? For half an hour? Why would she do that?"

    "I don''t know. Ask her yourself."

    "Insolent child. You''ll soon be moving to another town if you don''t straighten up."

    I heard small laughs and snickers from the back of the classroom. That same group of kids had been chuckling at my every move for the past. What I wouldn''t give to bump them off one of these days. I just need them alone but they''re always glued to each other.

    "Of course, Madame."

    Laughter burst out across the classroom, everywhere except for where they were. They played teacher''s pet when it helped them, and that way they could get away with whatever stunt they tried to pull on me while the teachers would just ignore them. I went and sat down at my desk next to Elle, but Miss Larche had already walked over in front of me. She frowned at me and held her hand high behind her.

    "Come on Marie, don''t hit the kid."

    "He was being disrespectful. He must learn somehow."

    "You were just threatening him with expulsion, choose one or the other."

    "Why are you on his side? He insulted a teacher."

    "He called you ''Madame''."

    "Did you hear his tone?"

    "He''s twelve, Marie. All kids that age sound obnoxious."

    "Then I suppose all of them will receive physical discipline."

    Mr. Savard let out a sigh before starting to speak again.

    "How are you going to explain this to the principal, Marie? Are you going to march in there and demand he be punished for calling you ''Madame''?"

    "I''ll tell the principal about a little thing called connotation."

    "You''d have to get one of the students to confirm that he was speaking in a disrespectful way for the principal to even care."

    "I''ll tell the principal."

    That asshole.

    "Nobody likes a mouch, Reynold."

    "How will you justify speaking to a student like that Savard?"

    "Easier job than you justifying slapping a kid. Just teach the class you''ve used most of your time already."

    Miss Larche lowered her hand and walked back to her chair. Mister Savard left the classroom and continued walking down the hallway, and we got back to the history lesson.

    "As I was talking about before I got so rudely interrupted, who here can tell us about how Articulago formed?"

    All of the students besides me raised their hands. I was counting on her doing the same thing she always does, so I tried to look like I was hiding from her. I avoided eye contact and pretended to focus on things that were near me, and eventually, she called on me.

    "Celio, why don''t you tell us about the formation of this country?"

    "Long ago, we were five separate countries who were all in some sort of conflict with each other. Then the king of Penilago had a meeting with the king of Arten, and they formed an alliance along with Icuria to stop the never-ending conflict. They named the new country Articulago and took over the other two countries who hadn''t immediately joined the alliance."

    "The other two countries, what were their names?"

    "Maedorran and Tidugo."

    "Well, Celio, you''ve made up for your insulting behavior. I''m certainly impressed that you took the time to get notes from Elle after you were out for a day."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    I couldn''t stop myself from grinning. It felt strange, being happy that Miss Larche was complimenting me. Maybe she wasn''t a bad person, but she does have very little patience. Well, at least she wouldn''t be mad at me for the rest of the day.

    "Hey, that''s too easy. The old countries are now city names. Of course, Celio knows those names, he''s been expelled from every school around the country. I don''t know if he''ll ever stop traveling."

    Elle stood up to yell at them like she usually does, and I tugged her arm to try and get her to sit down. Her screaming at them hadn''t stopped them before, it wouldn''t stop them now. However, before she could say a word Miss Larche actually defended me.

    "Now now, that was a bit too far, Reynold. I know that we usually ridicule Celio for his poor academic prowess, but you remember what Mr. Savard said. You must choose one or the other. If we point out his mistakes, we can not then also condemn him for his successes. It''s certainly not fair to make excuses for why he knows something that you might not. While it is true that he has a poor record pertaining to his behavior, if anything I am glad that he has used the opportunity to learn more about the country. I don''t know if all of us would care enough to remember the names of cities where we had to move away from because we got expelled."

    Was she defending me or insulting me more? She was definitely telling Reynold that he was wrong, but in every other part, she was talking about how I acted poorly in the past. It didn''t matter, she got Reynold to shut up and the class didn''t reward him for insulting me this time.

    "Our time is up. Make your way to the main room of prayer, it''s time for Zaehval."

    We all got up from our seats and walked to the big room in the middle of the school.

    "Thanks for giving me your notes, Elle."

    "I can''t believe you thought I''d say no. You know I don''t hate you, right?"

    "You seem very focused on how the teachers see you, I thought maybe you would think it''s embarrassing to let me look through your notes."

    "My name isn''t Reynold Mobles."

    We had a quick laugh before we had to get quiet again as we walked through the doors to the main room. The large statue of Phrosus was surrounded by students from the other class. I grabbed Elle by the arm and we rushed over to get as close as possible. The closer you were, the earlier you got food.

    Students slowly sat down around the statue, until eventually, the entire room was silent. The principal stood behind us all and led us in the prayer.

    "To he, incarnate of golden."

    "To he, a man of sacrifice."

    "To he who has taken all in the world, and left us with just enough."

    "To he who has allowed us to thrive, to he who has chosen to share."

    "To he who has experienced indulgence, and left us with fleeting virtue."

    "Only to indulge himself one more, to save us all from such a fate."

    "To he, who has it all. Not through choice, but through sacrifice."

    The next half hour was spent going through all of the students. All of us had a line given to us when we entered the school that morning, and we had to recite it when it was our turn. Mine was-

    "To he, who lives in disarray."

    I ended up getting my least favorite combination of sandwiches and snacks. They liked to call my type of sandwich "Holy Cheese," cause of, well, the holes in the cheese. It tasted disgusting, I couldn''t bear it. Along with that, I had to force down some chopped-up carrots. They weren''t even boiled. Every single bite sent a shiver down my spine. Elle offered to share hers with me, but the teachers hated it when she did this, so I told her to keep her food.

    After Zaehval was finished, we made our way to Mister Savard''s class. We had gone over redzovnas yesterday, which meant that today we''d be going outside to tend to the garden. The two chickens who we kept there always rushed towards me when we went outside, and I would carry them around. The best part was that they would always run away from Reynold, and he''d go chasing after them every time. Eventually, he''d either fall or get tired, and we''d all laugh at him.

    When we got outside, they immediately rushed at me, and the rest of the students went off to water the flowers. We were constantly rearranging the garden because otherwise we''d just be sitting down and doing nothing. This time, Mister Savard had some of the boys move the chicken home to the corner near the school. I was feeding both chickens with some of the leaves from the nearby tree. One of them nearly bit my whole finger off.

    I was carrying one of them over to Elle, but the second I looked away I heard the other chicken scream. I immediately let the chicken in my hands down and I turned around to see who but Reynold throwing random pebbles from the ground at the chicken. It was trying to run away from him, but he would hit it every single time, and it screamed in pain every single time.

    "Hey! What are you doing?"

    "I didn''t think you were blind and stupid."

    "I was giving you a chance to stop."

    "Oooh, so scary! What are you gonna do, cry to Mister Savard? He saved you from getting punished by Miss Larche, maybe he''ll save you from me this time."

    "I don''t need Mister Savard, I need you to stop being an asshole."

    The entire class gasped.

    "Oh, what? You''ve never heard me say the word ''asshole'' before?"

    "Celio! We do not use that language here."

    "I''m sorry Mister Savard but Reynold is hurting the chickens for no reason. I''m pretty sure I''m using the word right."

    "That doesn''t matter, there are some things that you just don''t say. Reynold, stop throwing pebbles at the chickens."

    "Why?"

    "What?"

    "Why should I stop throwing pebbles at the chickens? You always tell me to stop doing things but you let Celio do whatever he wants! He always picks up the chickens and pets them, or he screams in your class, but you don''t respond at all! Whenever I speak in your class you always yell at me!"

    "You are taking these things horribly out of context-"

    "Why is it fair that he gets to spend all the time with the chickens? All I''m trying to do is play with them!"

    "The chickens run to him immediately, Reynold. We can''t force them to like you, especially not when you try to hurt them like this."

    He was acting. He couldn''t even make any actual tears so he had to keep his arms over his eyes, pretending like he was constantly wiping his face.

    "We all know the only reason why Celio loves to hug those chickens is because he can never hug his mothe-"

    Miss Daoust was going to be mad at me again. In an instant, I was right in front of Reynold. Maybe the problem was that he could ever speak, I think the entire school would be better if he wasn''t able to.

    I decided to fix this problem by breaking his jaw. Unfortunately, he went flying with the jaw.

 One More Shot (2)

    "What do you mean he didn''t "mean" it? His face is purple Savard!"

    "The kid was throwing rocks at the chickens and he insulted his dead mother. If you did that in any major city you''d be killed by the guards themselves, and anyone who killed you before them wouldn''t be punished in the slightest."

    "So what we should operate like Bousseldorf with all those damn Penilagians?"

    "Keep your voice down, he''s right outside."

    "I hope he hears me! That half-mixed runt can cry himself to sleep knowing that this entire town hates him."

    "And who''s fault is that? If you didn''t humiliate him on the first day in front of everyone maybe we wouldn''t be here right now. Every single teacher knows about the things that you tell Reynold to do."

    "I''m just making sure he grows up to be a fine man like myself, but I guess you''re the perfect example for Celio."

    "So, are you going to air out your family disputes to all of Neupont because you''re fuming at an adolescent?"

    "He nearly killed a noble! Do you know how much pleading I had to do just so the Mobles family wouldn''t order a fucking inquisition?"

    "Have you forgotten how to act? You need to watch what you say around people who''ll repeat it mindlessly."

    "You have a lot of nerve to tell me how to act when you''re the one who got abandoned by the best party anyone will ever hear about until the end of time because you wouldn''t shut up about your moral code and your principles."

    "Do you want to get executed? You know that they come after anyone who knows anything that''s supposed to be kept internal."

    "Well, I''ll die with the widest grin if I know they got to that kid first."

    "You lay a single finger on him and I''ll tell your wife about Missus Marron."

    "Find a cliff to go jump off of!"

    Mister Savard slammed the door behind him.

    "Sorry that you had to hear that. He''ll be quiet for a bit until he finds something else to use against me. In the meantime you should go back to Elle, I''m sure she''s worried about whether you''re expelled or not."

    Did she stay behind again? I told her to stop after the fifth or sixth time that I found her asleep by the main door to the school. I walked out the door and found her, but two things were strange. It wasn''t night this time. I thought that I was either getting screamed at or listening to them scream at each other for hours, but the sun was only just setting under the houses. The red glare hurt my eyes, but I could see all of them, besides Reynold, of course, standing right outside the school with Elle. Were they waiting to get revenge? Was Elle trying to convince them not to? The one in the middle who I couldn''t see immediately bowed to me and reached out their hand towards me.

    "I''m really sorry!"

    "What?"

    "I''m sorry for not doing anything while Reynold made fun of you, or hit you."

    Did they get hit in the head too? Was this some sort of dare? Who was watching us from far away making sure that they did whatever this was?

    "Elle, did a teacher come and punish them for something?"

    "What happened was that apparently, Reynold''s parents were forcing all five of them to be his friends. Something about how they would call the king down to Neupont if they didn''t agree to make their kids play along."

    "Why did they go along with it?"

    "Weren''t you listening? They were forced to."

    "I''ve been forced to do things too, I don''t always agree when someone threatens me."

    "Well that''s not fair, you''re different."

    "How?"

    "Celio they were being forced by their parents. Their lives could have been ruined if they didn''t go along with it."

    "What, so they trade away having to move towns once instead of letting me catch a break?"

    "You''re not being fair. You all should leave."

    They ran back into the town. I couldn''t wrap my head around it. So what if they had to leave this town, I''ve moved over fifty times and they couldn''t handle it once? They had to help him in making fun of me? They had to sit there and laugh with him? So what are they trying to say, they forced themselves to laugh every single time? They were just acting? Kids. Kids were "just acting" when they made the choice to insult me, laugh at his jokes, make faces at me, or get me in trouble. Was I just supposed to believe that because they apologized?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "I''m not being fair? I knew you were nice but I didn''t know you were stupid."

    "Don''t insult me because you''re mad at them. You think that they would just lie about something like this?"

    "It doesn''t matter. Even if they were forced to do it, you can''t tell me that every little thing that they did, every single laugh and grin, every time they made my day horrible they were just acting."

    "Why not? Why can''t it be true that not everyone who makes fun of you, who does something bad to you is a villain?"

    "I''m just supposed to forgive them? If Mister Savard hadn''t forced the principal to let me leave without getting punished I would be packing up my things right now!"

    "But that''s Reynold''s fault, not theirs."

    "Not theirs? They helped him WILLINGLY!"

    "You were being unfair, and now you''re acting crazy."

    "Where did this come from? These people who you always screamed at when they would make fun of me, you never talked about whether they could be faking it, you never thought of it. Why would you? Why are you defending them now?"

    "I''m not going to listen to you right now. I''ll see you tomorrow."

    She walked away before I had the chance to respond. My head was still spinning, I don''t even know what I said. Every single thought that I had was racing around in my head, I just said whatever stayed long enough for me to remember. What was I saying? I''m sure that I was right, but I couldn''t think straight long enough to tell her why. I went home, well, to the home I was staying in at the time. Ms. Larche also ran the Neupont orphanage. A few years ago, the council of Articulago forced every small village to have one. The cities couldn''t fit any more buildings, so they didn''t have to do the same thing, but instead, they forced local inns to keep lost kids.

    I went straight to Miss Larche''s room. I wonder what she''d have to say this time. Maybe something different than her insulting me for getting in trouble again.

    "Good, Celio, come in."

    She pulled up the same chair that she always had me sit in. Well, it wasn''t even a chair. It was a worn-down stool that would break more every time I sat on it while listening to her talk about how I would have nowhere else to go if I didn''t stop misbehaving. She had the same cup of tea that she never drank but only stirred slowly in front of me. Sometimes, the spoon would hit the side of the teacup, other times it would scrape the bottom. I couldn''t ignore it either way.

    "So, I heard that you hit Reynold today."

    "Have you ever been lied to?"

    She paused for a second, I expected her to be surprised. Usually, I didn''t talk at all when she invited me to her room after school, I would just stop focusing on her and look outside the window behind her as she yelled at me.

    "I have, why do you ask?"

    "Reynold''s friends came up to me after school today, and they tried to apologize for, I don''t know, being his friend or something."

    "Is that so? Why were they apologizing?"

    "Apparently Reynold''s parents were forcing them to be friends. Something about threats to get the king involved if they didn''t agree."

    "Well, that''s certainly interesting. I knew that Reynold was a renowned noble but I didn''t think he would have to force people to be friends with him."

    "You believe them?"

    "Do you not?"

    "Why would I believe them? They''re always laughing at me, helping him, supporting him, doing whatever they can to make sure he''s able to make fun of me and get away with it."

    "So that''s why you asked me if I''d ever been lied to?"

    "Yes."

    She paused for another second and actually took a sip from her tea.

    "Let me ask you something, the same question actually. Have you ever been lied to? Before today, that is."

    "Yeah."

    "When?"

    "When I was young people wouldn''t ever say that my mom was dead, they''d always avoid it. Sometimes they would say that she''s at the cleric''s, other times they would say she''s dealing with a family thing."

    "You''re angry at them now, aren''t you?"

    "Who?"

    "Reynolds ''friends.''"

    "Yeah."

    "Were you mad at those people when they lied to you about your mother?"

    "No."

    "Why not?"

    "Because they were doing it to help me. I know that sometimes people lie for a good reason, but they were only lying so I wouldn''t be mad at them."

    "So sometimes lying is acceptable, right?"

    "Sure? But it''s not acceptable for them-"

    "Celio, if I screamed at chickens right now, would you think that would be odd?"

    "Yeah?"

    "If a random young child screamed at chickens right now, would that be odd?"

    "Maybe, but that''s a young child, you''re an adult."

    "So children can get away with things that adults cannot."

    "Nobody can get away with being an assho-"

    "Don''t use that kind of language while I''m trying to help you, Celio. Listen, you''re all young. I know why you think they''re lying, and I think that you''re most likely right. Sure, they were initially forced to go along with whatever Reynold told them to do, but eventually they started to do it without him saying anything. Eventually, they enjoyed making fun of you. That is what you are thinking, correct?"

    "Yes."

    "What I think is that if you make a child do anything that they don''t hate in its entirety, they''ll eventually grow to accept it. Picky children may eventually be okay with eating certain foods, maybe a class that they always thought was boring becomes interesting to them. Even you have shown that you can change in this way."

    "But they changed in a way that was bad."

    "That doesn''t matter, though. That''s what I''m trying to get across to you. Children can make massive changes in their life, changes that they may not even recognize. Sometimes these changes are for the better, sometimes they are for the worse. The question is, if they look like they''re willing to be your friend, to no longer torment you and ruin every day for you, would you really rather stay mad at them and risk the chance that they''ll go back to the way they were? Even if they are lying to you, even if they aren''t truly sorry for what they have done, does it not mean more to you that it seems as though they don''t want to hurt you again?"

    "If I''m just like them, just another kid who is changing as he grows up, then why did Elle say that I was different?"

    "Because you are different, Celio. Your life thus far has made sure that you will change before everyone else does, that you will become the person that will be present throughout your entire life sooner than any of your peers."

    "But that''s not fair, why am I responsible for the things I do now when they aren''t?"

    "You focus on the poor parts of being an early bloomer, but you have something that all of them would possibly kill to get access to."

    "And what is that?"

    "Your affinity."

 One More Shot (3)

    "Elle was right when she said you were different, but I do not think that even she knew the full extent of what she was saying. The experiences you''ve had ensure that you will look at every event in your childhood, and view it differently than your peers. You have been forced to grow up in a world that is unforgiving, whereas even Elle has not experienced half of what you have accepted as an unchangeable past. You have the ability to tell right from wrong, you have an understanding of morality. These are things that can only be gained through experience, and the other part of you that also exists because of this experience is your affinity. Adults train for years to be able to activate theirs without some sort of mnemonic device, and yet here you are using it to run between classrooms. It is unfair for you to compare yourselves to them, and if anything that is because you are better."

    I got up and left the room, it was almost fully dark outside so I couldn''t convince the other people at the orphanage to let me go walk around the village. I just went over to my room and lay down on my bed. I didn''t understand half of what she was saying. How did we grow up in a world where grown-ups didn''t make sure that the person they were talking to was actually following? How does anybody get anything done around here if half the time nobody gets each other and nobody else cares if they were... gotten? Something like that. The only thing that I took away was that I should forgive them because I have powers. That can''t be right.

    I think I''ll have a chance to actually go over what Miss Larche said in the morning, if I tried to find the answer right now I''d be sitting in my bed all night not getting any sleep. We didn''t go to school the next day because it was the day of prayers. I don''t understand why this empire prays to all seven of them depending on where you are. They each have their own days of prayer, so every time I moved I would end up missing a day that I thought I wouldn''t have school and then getting punished for it. That was usually the first thing that let me know I would be moving away again. I was going at it again. Thinking faster than I could remind myself to go to sleep.

    I always used to think that counting sheep would never work, but I had never actually tried it before that one night in Plaqarte. If I was able to actually focus on counting, eventually the voices in my head would stop and I''d be able to actually close my eyes. If I didn''t do this it would just feel like I''m forcing my eyes closed and then I''d hate myself again.

    I got all the way to three-hundred and fifty-six before I finally shut up and could go to sleep.

    "Listen, all I''m saying is that if she was a little bit younger I''d be sending love letters every day."

    "A little bit? She''s in her forties, how could you possibly be into that?"

    "I''m with him, if a woman looks like that then I don''t care what age she is."

    "Okay, I didn''t go that far. No amount of looks can make me like a sixty-year-old."

    "If she looks like a twenty-year-old it''s not like anyone even cares, at that point you''re just freaking out over numbers."

    "If someone is sixty and they look like they''re twenty, then there''s something weird about them. Nobody is like that without some crazy explanation that involves them murdering babies."

    "I don''t know where the murdering babies part came from, is that where your mind goes to when you think of beautiful things? Babies?"

    "You''re hilarious."

    "I don''t think we should be talking about this kind of stuff."

    "You''re always worried that a teacher is right around the corner. It''s not like they''re watching our every move. Plus, if we get expelled then I''ll actually be able to ask her out without getting punished."

    "Don''t you guys think it''s weird to fantasize about a woman more than twice your age?"

    "What are they gonna do, stop us from thinking?"You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "They probably could."

    "Well, that''s a plus for me anyway."

    "Yes, we know Celio you''re so smart, and so cool, and your brain works so much faster than the rest of us because you can run fast."

    "Glad you''re finally giving in."

    "Pardon?"

    "Now back to what we were talking about, I don''t care if she''s eighty-"

    "All of you shut up, that''s disgusting."

    We all paused for a second, he wasn''t looking at us like we were crazy, but he had this look on his face like he was trying to see what was going to happen. Was he testing us?

    "Yeah, you''re right."

    "I''m sorry man, I was just joking."

    "We don''t have to talk about it anymore if you don''t want us to, but you usually make jokes like those all the time. What''s the problem with it now?"

    "My problem is that it''s disgusting to think about dating an old hag."

    "Alright man, we won''t talk about it."

    Now he looked disgusted. He must have been testing us. What were we supposed to say? Should we have continued talking about old women who look good? Were we supposed to never talk about it, to begin with? What was he trying to prove? What was the point?

    "I need to go get something to eat, don''t follow me."

    "Alright."

    And just like that, he''d walked away.

    I woke up the next morning to somebody knocking on my door. It was Elle. I didn''t have time to go over whatever sort of dream I just had, she was already in my room looking at me like that guy did. She was trying to see what I would do. I had to quickly think about what Miss Larche said to me, but that wouldn''t be an issue.

    Am I supposed to be the grown-up? That felt like what she was trying to make me think, that because I''ve gone through more than they have because my mother died I''m able to act better than they are. That part didn''t make sense. Wouldn''t my mom dying be an excuse for me to act poorly? Everyone would always mention that she had passed away whenever I hurt someone yelled in class, or argued with the teacher. It would only work a few times before nobody talked about it anymore and I moved to a different town or city.

    There was only one part of what she told me that I agreed with. If I decided to say no to them, to just be angry at them until whenever Reynold came back, then everything would return to how it was and I wouldn''t get anything from this little escape from having to deal with him. Even if they were lying, even if they were trying to trick me, if I spent the next couple of weeks, maybe a month refusing to forgive them then I''m sure that even Elle would do something, maybe she would stop hanging out with me, something that would make the little freedom I get from him just as horrible as when he''s here. It didn''t matter that I was angry at them, I would just tell myself that I was not forgiving them because I thought they were good people, but that I was forgiving them for me.

    "I thought about what you said yesterday."

    "Oh did you?"

    "Do you want an apology or do you want to interrupt me?"

    "How about both."

    "Then how would I give the apolog-"

    "Apology accepted. You were an idiot. I forgive you."

    "How can people see you act like this and still like you?"

    "He said while smiling."

    "I''m a smiley kind of guy."

    "''Guy''?"

    "Kid. Boy. Child. Happy?"

    "Absolutely."

    "Where are the other people? Did you bring them with you?"

    "Their parents are all really strict about today, they''ll be at the rituals and ceremonies, everything that this town does."

    "So should we head out into the forest again?"

    "Depends, are you going to run me there or am I going to refuse to go?"

    "Eventually, when you''re old and grey, you''re going to look back and wish you had just walked there."

    "My bones are just fine, and they will continue to be fine."

    "You sure? I think your skull might be cracked. Want me to check?"

    "First of all, how would you ''check'' if my skull is cracked? Are you going to pull open my head like a sandwich?"

    "I could probably do it if I tried hard enough."

    "Just hold your arms out and let me jump into them. This is the closest you''ll ever get to a girl anyways."

    "Are you the daughter of a seer?"

    "Could be."

    She jumped into my arms, and in a second we were off over to the forest. I couldn''t run that quickly with her in my arms, the last time I did that her arms and legs were red for a whole week. Her hair got in my face again while I was running, I always told her to tie her hair up, and that if I tripped and fell she would break all the bones in her body. I think she knows that I won''t trip.

    I don''t know why she believed me whenever I said that I was smarter than the other people around me. I don''t know why she believed me when I would brag about how I could control my powers. Even now as I was running faster than a horse without a carriage to pull, she didn''t hold on to me. She didn''t cover her face from the wind, or look away from what was in front of her. Where did this trust come from? How could someone who I''d only known for a month act like this to me?

    We finally got to the edge of the forest, and I set her down on the ground feet first. The first few times we did this I would just lie her down and then she''d hit me.

    "Thank you, my noble steed."

    "I could just run you all the way back to the village and explore the forest myself."

    She started to walk into the trees before I finished what I was saying.

    "You''re right, you could."

 One More Shot (4)

    The last time we were in here we got to the bottom of a large hill that went up above the treetops. I know where it is this time, forward towards the big green vine as soon as you enter the forest, and continue walking in that direction. She was running ahead of me, jumping over roots, plants, and anything else that was on the ground. She picked up a large stick and tried to use it as a cane, but it got caught between two rocks on the ground. Last time it took us a few hours to find it, but only a few minutes to get back. Well, it took me a few minutes to get back. At the speed I carry her that means it could be a good hour of walking like this.

    "Do you want us to be too late to actually climb the hill?"

    "Do you want to jump into my arms again?"

    "No! When you ran us back to the town I got dirt all over my face, I could taste the mud for a week!"

    "Even your running speed feels slow to me, I''d have to work harder than I want to just to stay at your speed."

    "Whatever, I''ll walk."

    And so we did. For the next few hours, we walked forward, but we found nothing. I couldn''t even tell if we were walking forward anymore. Was there some turn that we missed? Maybe we didn''t just run forward when we were getting out of here last time, maybe the big green vine wasn''t the way to go. Elle was getting tired. She would take a few steps and then get tired again. She wouldn''t last much longer.

    "Listen, I think getting dirt in your mouth is better than passing out."

    "Alright, fine. You have to promise me that you''ll watch where you step though."

    "I promise."

    "Pinky promise?"

    "What are you five?"

    She gave me puppy eyes while sticking her pinky finger out to me. It was either this or leaving her here, so I stretched out my pinky and joined it with hers. I picked her up into my arms once more, and we were off. However, just as I started to truly run, I found myself face-first in the grass. What? Did I even move at all? I couldn''t have. Had I gotten faster? No, if I''d moved that fast then Elle wouldn''t still be here, she''d be dust or something like it.

    Wait. Where was Elle? I could feel my arms still in front of me and they were holding something. I quickly brought my head back out of the grass and pulled the rest of my body with it. Elle was still in my arms, but she was covered in dirt. I laid her against the hill and started brushing dirt off her as fast as I could. Was she still breathing? How long was she in there for? Where did the giant hill come from?

    As I brushed the dirt off her face I could see that her eyes were open, and she spit a mouthful of dirt at me.

    "Elle! What the hell was that for?"

    "You promised you would watch where you were stepping! You pinky promised!"

    "I''m sorry, I- I didn''t see the hill. I don''t know how, it just was suddenly there in front of me."

    "You''re telling me. One moment I''m in your arms the next I''m in a pile of dirt!"

    "Whatever, we''ll talk about this later. We need to climb this hill before it gets dark again."

    We both looked up at the hill, it was incredibly steep. The dirt was soft though, I could stick my foot in it and push down and it would hold me up, it was kind of like stairs. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    "Can you let me ride on your back up the hill?"

    "You really trust me to carry you after I just threw you into a pile of dirt?"

    "I knew you did it on purpose!"

    She backed away while frowning at me and I couldn''t help but laugh.

    "Never making a pinky promise with you again."

    "My fingers were crossed."

    "Celio!"

    "Come on, I need to run you back to the town when we''re done so we should at least climb the hill before that."

    Elle figured out that she could climb up the hill easily, and so we started our way up. Each time I would reach into the dirt with my hands it felt a bit different. As we got higher, the dirt got more soft, but I didn''t slip at all while climbing up and neither did Elle. We both climbed for what felt like another whole hour, but eventually we made it to the top.

    Wait, it was dark already?

    We just got above the trees and I was able to see the sky. I could see every single star that was out tonight. Tonight? How was it already night time? Were we walking around for longer than we thought? Were we climbing the hill for longer than we thought? I looked all around me and I couldn''t see the exit to the forest. I saw endless amounts of green trees that were all the same height.

    We were lost.

    How were we going to get back? What would we do? We can''t survive out here in the forest. Well, maybe I can, but I don''t think that Elle can. Well, I can protect Elle. But still! We shouldn''t be staying here for the rest of our lives. How could I not see anything other than trees? We were only walking, how did we get this far? How large was this forest? I knew that there was a big one in the middle of Melantia, but I didn''t think that Articulago had one as well. Was this a new discovery? If I made it back to the village, could I tell them about what I had seen here and become some sort of pioneer? How was I ever going to make it back anyway? Would I run as fast as I could without Elle, and hope that I made it out? If I made it out, I would have to come back in to get her, I shouldn''t just abandon her here. But if I don''t make it out of the forest, then I''m still going to be abandoning her. How would I even find my way back to this hill? The first time I found it by wandering and the second time I found it by just running for a second. What was the trick? What am I supposed to do?

    I looked over at Elle, she didn''t seem to care as much as I did. Why didn''t she care? She was just staring at the stars. Or was she staring at the moon? How can she just sit and stare at the stars or moon while we''re sitting on the top of a gigantic hill in the middle of a forest that apparently nobody knows about? How can she be calm when we could have ruined our lives by just going out for a walk? Should we have stayed in the orphanage and taken part in the rituals and prayers for the day? Was this Phrosus''s way of punishing us for not praying to him? Why did he care? I had praised him the day before, and Elle had to. Was he really that much of a jerk? He would choose to make two random kids in some worn-down village in the middle of a poor combination of countries that all hate each other get lost in woods that aren''t fully explored just because we didn''t pray to him at every opportunity? What kind of God is that? What kind of person is that? Elle was still looking at everything around her, but she must have been focused on one thing because she had been staring in the same direction for a while now.

    "Celio, look!"

    "Look at what?"

    "That random thing floating around!"

    I looked over at her, and I saw what she was talking about.

    In the middle of the starry night sky was a cube. Well, it wasn''t exactly a cube. The bottom of it looked like a mountain, sort of. It was like an upside-down cone. Like if you filled in a crater and then took out the filling. Something like that. The rest of the thing in the sky was a cube, It was like nothing I had ever seen before. There were windows all over it. One window, and then another window. Kind of like a house with more than one level, but all the windows were either right next to each other or right on top of each other. They were also all made of the clearest glass that I had ever seen. Was this some sort of fancy house? How did they get a fancy house to float in the sky? It was huge. The rest of the house was made out of this weird gray material. It looked smooth from far away, was it some sort of rock? That''s the only other thing that I knew about that would go in a house with that kind of color.

    I saw a dark figure come out of the house at the top of it. It was a man with a long coat who was standing on the edge of the house. The top of it must have been flat, I couldn''t see any sort of roof that houses usually had. Was he looking at us? The blue light of the moon made everything around me look blue, even the grass didn''t have its normal color. He was just standing there, on the edge of the tower. There was another window made of glass at the top, but it just sat there in front of him without any more of that gray stuff above it. I was trying to squint to see him better, but just as I stopped to blink I couldn''t see him anymore.

    "You''re not supposed to be here. Not yet, at least."

 One More Shot (5)

    "I don''t know how you even managed to get up that hill. I know that I set the criteria in place but I didn''t think that you would be able to fill it. You''re what, twelve? Thirteen at most?"

    How had he gotten over here so quickly? One second I was watching him stare at us from afar and the next he was right before me, talking as if he hadn''t just randomly appeared out of nowhere. Forget that, what was happening right now? I couldn''t move any part of my body but I could see and hear everything. Elle was just sitting looking at the structure that was still in the same place, there was no wind, and the grass wasn''t moving at all.

    "Right, you don''t know who I am or what I''m doing. If you''re wondering how any of this is happening, the simple answer is that I drew an ace. The complicated answer is something that you''ll get in about five years."

    I had to wait five years just to understand how he was able to break every single rule about, I don''t know, living that there is? Maybe he''s saying that I''m too young to understand it? But he seems to know about me, and if he knew about me then he''d know that my mind operates faster than any other person he''s ever met before. Maybe he does know that then, and he''s saying something else. Does he mean that he''ll tell me the real explanation behind how he''s able to do this in five years? How is he so sure that we''ll meet again? Well, he knows me now, so I guess it wouldn''t be that hard to find me. What if I''ve run away from this life of constant moving? Is he going to run around the continent looking for me?

    "The simple answer is yes again."

    What? Was I talking out loud? How did he hear what I was thinking? Is he a psychic? Is that how he''s going to find me? Is that how he knows who I am? If he''s a psychic then what if he''s making me see things that aren''t real? What if this entire thing is fake? Is Elle actually here right now? Did I trip and fall and get knocked out when I started to run? That would make sense, but how would he do anything to me when I''m knocked out? Did he knock me out?

    "I drew a seven that time, so I only caught that last thought. Anyway, I''m sure you have a lot of questions, but I don''t have time to answer any of them. I''ve been keeping my eye on you for a while mostly because you run really fast, and I think that''s interesting. I think that you don''t just run fast, but you do other things quickly as well. I can''t just pull you out of this current situation of yours and test you to see how much you can actually do, so for the time being I''m just going to let you, I don''t know, figure it out. You''ve been able to do that pretty well so far so I believe in you."

    I heard a large "boom" from somewhere below me, and the hill started to shrink into the ground. Just before we went back under the tops of the trees, the man said just one more thing.

    "Well, Reindt would love this one."

    It seemed like everything went back to normal. I felt a burst of wind in my face, and I felt the ground fall out from under me. The hill had completely disappeared after only a few seconds and I was left with Elle looking everywhere around us trying to figure out where the noise we heard was coming from. We waited a few more seconds, the sounds were getting louder every single time we heard them. Just as we both turned in the same direction we saw the beast making these noises.

    Well, it''s been a nice life. Unfortunately, I''m about to be killed by a Chidle King.

    It was huge, the top of its head almost touched the leaves on the trees that were already giant themselves. Every part of its body was covered in black fur that changed to orange as you went further out. Every single tooth that it had looked like it could cut straight through the trees, and that it would be even easier to slice right through us.

    Elle had already started running away, but she wasn''t fast enough at all, not even close. The chidle king quickly caught up to her and I knew that I had to do something. Could I hurt it? I know that I could hit it quickly, maybe get out a good one to two hundred punches in a second but I didn''t know if it would do anything. I never figured out if I was strong or not. I had no clue if my powers went beyond my speed.

    I didn''t have a choice. If I let it get anywhere near Elle she wouldn''t last a second. I immediately rushed at it, and I threw a punch at it as hard as I could. It felt like my shoulder would fly off from my body if there wasn''t something in front of it. The moment that it made contact with the Chidle King, I immediately felt a jolt throughout my entire body. It was like I was hitting the walls of the church, I couldn''t move it at all. Even if I threw my entire body at it as fast as I could I''d only be hurting myself anymore.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    It didn''t matter. It was me or Elle. I threw hit, after hit, after hit. I didn''t know how long I had been punching it for, maybe a second? Maybe two? I saw my arms for a moment, they were fully dark purple, I must have broken every single bone in both of my arms, but I was still throwing punches. I started kicking it as well, and soon after my legs turned the same color of purple that my arms already were. Just as I threw my last kick, I fell over on my back. I couldn''t move anything, I was breathing faster than I could think. I heard a large noise in front of me but I couldn''t see what it was. I raised my head barely to see that I had won against the Chidle King. It was knocked over on its side, even if for a moment. All that Elle needed to do was run into the forest and she''d get away. She''d-

    "Oh Phrosus, he with everything yet both so little. Hear my final plea and give to this man an escape from his suffering."

    What was she doing? I saw a circle of light surround me as she continued her prayer. Why wasn''t she running?

    "Return to him the memories that you have taken for your own keeping, for yours or his safety, both are at risk. Hear my plea, O'' Phrosus, He has taken that which should have been given to me, he has taken your role in mine own eyes. This false pretense must be corrected."

    When did she learn the prayer of reversal? Where did she get the Essence of Aerdal from? Why was she using it on me? Why was she standing there? The Chidle King was starting to get back up right behind her. Why wasn''t she running? Why was she trying to save me? Questions rushed through my head, and I couldn''t think. All that was still clear was the lights which were getting brighter as she continued with the prayer. The Chidle King was almost fully up, she needed to run. She needed to get away from me, she needed to save the essence for herself, she needed to escape.

    "O'' Phrosus, let me take back that which I should never have relinquished. Let me give you that which you crave, let me allow you return to possession of all the eye can see, of all the mind can know. Let this man be free of responsibilities that shall never lie on his shoulders again, for his sacrifice should never be made."

    My legs and arms had returned to their normal color, I could move my body again. I quickly stood up and held my arms out so she could jump into them once more. I don''t care if her skin got red, at least she''d still have skin. I needed to prepare so that I could run as fast as I could the moment I was fully carrying her.

    "Elle, let''s go-"

    I heard a noise that sounded like a tomato being cut open. No, it sounded more like stabbing a knife through a tomato. Was someone cooking food nearby? I felt a strange thing dribble onto my face. It was warm and felt kind of like water. I saw it come over my eyes, it was a dark red. This must be a nightmare. Maybe Elle is cutting a tomato open right over my head because I haven''t woken up yet. I''m really going to chase her down this time, I can''t let her get away. I mean how could she do something to hurt me-

    "I love you, Celio."

    Her voice was shaking. She sounded like she was out of breath, like she was running to catch up to me just to tell me something. She wanted to tell me that? I knew that. Well, I''m pretty sure I knew that. Why else would she act like this all the time? Well, I guess I''ll forgive her for this little prank because I didn''t wake up in time. I looked up and-

    There she was. Lifted up off the ground, with the claws of the Chidle sticking straight through her body. Blood dripped from its claws onto my face, and her arms and legs just laid there being held up by the rest of her body.

    "Celio, you need to run."

    I couldn''t move at all. Third time today, and I couldn''t make myself move a single part of myself. I was frozen in place.

    "Celio, GO!"

    The Chidle King''s claws only moved a bit and she was torn open. I didn''t have time to look at her destroyed corpse, her scream was all it took to send me running as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Roots didn''t matter. Vines didn''t matter. Trees didn''t matter. I felt the wind slam in my face like I was about to run into a wall, no, like I was constantly running into one. I ran, and I ran. I didn''t know how fast I was going, but I felt like I would catch fire at any second. One root that was large enough to trip me was all it took and I was sent flying. I was twisting around faster than my eyes could see, I went from one blurry image of the forest trees to another of the ground filled with dirt and plants of several kinds.

    My back slammed into the ground, and I rolled another large distance before finally coming to a stop. I was outside of the forest, I could see Neupont. Just before I could get myself up and running again, I saw the same figure that I met atop the giant hill. He must have been saying something while he was walking up to me but I couldn''t hear. I couldn''t hear anything but my own extremely fast breathing. Other than that, everything else was drowned out by my ears ringing. Eventually, he got close enough to me that I could make out a word or two.

    "Reindt would really hate you."

    He paused for a few seconds before speaking again.

    "I still think you''re interesting though."

 Premonition, Premature?

    "Celio, how long are you going to stay in there? It''s been a month!"

    Her voice was unbearable, it felt like I shouldn''t be hearing it. I didn''t deserve to have her trying to force me out of my room, I didn''t deserve whatever meal she had brought with her.

    "I really am sorry for cutting a tomato open over your head, I didn''t know that the rumors about it giving people nightmares would be true!"

    Why was she saying sorry? It wasn''t her fault. It wasn''t her fault that I couldn''t do anything to the Chidle King. It wasn''t her fault that I got injured and forced her to help me just so I could walk. It wasn''t her fault that I ended up running away, being unable to even fight back against the beast that had torn her to shreds. How could it all have been a nightmare? Spending hours walking through a forest that spread out everywhere, climbing up a hill that must be taller than any mountain on the continent, and seeing whatever that thing floating in the sky was. All of it? All of it was caused by her cutting a tomato open over my head? All of this, watching the life be ripped away from her as I laid on the ground unable to do anything. Watching her throw away her future just so she could use one of the most valuable things in the world to save someone who could barely throw a punch. It was something that she would do. That entire "nightmare" felt like something that happened. Something that could happen. Was I a prophet?

    "Listen, I''m not going to go away this time! The principal has been walking into classes asking where you are, I heard him say that he was going to expel you. Reynold has come back, and those kids all went back to being close to him. If he says one more bad thing about you I''m going to hit him the same way you did, and then I''ll get expelled."

    "Why would they expel you for hitting him? I thought you told me that you heard them all talk about how much they hated him."

    "I also told you that they talked about how they were being forced to not punish him, didn''t I?"

    She started to cry.

    "Why don''t you ever respond to me? Why are you only talking to me now? For the last month I''ve been knocking at your door every day, I''ve been trying to get you out of this room. Do you know how hard it''s been, going to school every day and listening to him make you seem like a psycho? Every day I tell him that he''s wrong and every day he asks me if you''ve come out of this room. Why are you only talking to me now that I mention getting expelled?"

    She was hyperventilating and started to sniffle. Eventually, she must''ve tried to swallow while breathing in and she started coughing loudly. I was about to open the door when she stopped. I could hear her sucking down her spit through the door, I could feel the door shaking.

    "Why do you only care about what happens to me? How long has it been since you''ve seen someone who isn''t Miss Larche? Why are you just sitting there behind the door as people try to help you? Every single day I''ve gone home and prayed that you come out of this room. I''ve attended the rituals on the holy days, I''ve done everything! Everything, and you won''t even open the door!"

    She slammed her fists against the door a few times and tried to move the handle. The room was locked and I heard one final bang before what sounded like her sliding onto the floor.

    "Is it me? Did I do something wrong? I won''t ever force you to wake up again, you can sleep as much as you want. Just please, please come out! Let me see you, let me come into your room!"

    She banged on the door another few times. I couldn''t respond. I couldn''t say a single thing. This was better for her. If she wasn''t with me, then she wouldn''t go into the forest. She would live a long life here in the village, go off, and do everything that she wanted. She would live. She wouldn''t wander one day and save some rejected child who can never seem to stay in one place and who doesn''t deserve anything. She wouldn''t throw away her life for someone who ran away instead of even bothering to die with her, to die trying to save her. It''s like taking candy away from a child. They will cry, they will slam their fists into doors, they will do everything to try and get the candy back but when they grow up, when they grow up they will realize that the candy wasn''t good for them. They will realize that the candy is just some useless thing that everybody hates for a good reason. They will realize that nobody who has grown up ever likes the candy, how they always insult it, and make sure everyone else knows how bad the candy truly is.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Do you hate me? Do you want me to just stop talking to you?"

    No, that isn''t it. I really do like you, Elle. Any selfish person would use you, they would keep you near them at all times and make sure that you spent every moment together. They would bring you to places that put you in danger, they would let you sacrifice yourself to save them. They don''t like you, Elle. They don''t get that liking someone means wanting what is best for them, they don''t get that there are things, there are people that are more important than them. Nobody ever gets that. They always think that they are the most important ones and that the people around them are less important. They look at the kid who has to move to a new town every few months and look at him the same way that they look at an ant. You''re smart, Elle. You know that I like you. You know that what I''m doing, I''m doing so you can stay alive. Maybe you can''t think that it''s true right now, but I think that you know what the truth is. I think you know that I''m just something you have to let go. Someone who you have to let walk away so you can make the right choice. I''m sorry that I have to be that person, I really am. Maybe I was born this way, born to be a disease to anybody who is near me. I can handle that, Elle, but I can''t keep you around. I can''t say any of this to you, because you don''t think that you get it, but you will. You''ll get it. You always do.

    Her sobbing got quieter, and she took deep breaths before beginning to speak again, but you could still hear the tears in her voice.

    "I don''t have anyone else. I don''t. You''re the only person I know. After Arina went missing in the forest, I was alone. Do you know what it was like seeing you for the first time? I knew you were sad, I knew that you had lost someone too. I thought that you would be like Arina, only responding sometimes, never doing anything with me. Always went off by herself where nobody could see, but when you turned out to be like this I was happy. Every time I saw you I smiled, every time we did things together I thought about how maybe Arina would be happy that I had found a friend who could give me what I wanted. I don''t know what to do, Celio. I really don''t. If I can''t talk to you anymore, what am I supposed to do? Should I go get lost in the first like Arina? Is that what you want me to do?"

    After a few seconds of silence, I heard her get up. I heard her sleeve wipe the tears from her face.

    "Fine. I''ll see you tomorrow."

    She started to walk away. I knew what she was going to do. I couldn''t let her go back to the forest. Even if I let her die once, I couldn''t let her go off by herself again. I couldn''t stay away from her, I couldn''t let her go. I don''t have to forgive myself for killing her, maybe I never will. I''ll have the priest talk about how my biggest regret was failing to keep her alive that day in the forest. I need her to stay. I need her to-

    "Wait!"

    I had swung the door open, and I stood there looking at her. She turned back toward me, and she was still crying. We stood there for a few seconds just looking at each other, staring into each other''s eyes and thinking about what would happen next. Would she run away? Would I run to her? What was I going to say? How was I ever going to make her forgive me for locking myself away and not talking to her? How would I ever make it up to her for making her walk away from the only person that she knows, the only person who she can talk to for a month? I couldn''t forgive myself, why would she forgive me?

    She ran towards me and held her arms out as she jumped onto me. I got pushed backward until I tripped and fell back onto my bed. She was hugging me as tightly as she could, and before I could say anything I felt her kiss me, stopping me from saying anything. I felt her breathing on top of me, as she held on to me even tighter than before. I felt her tears drop onto my face and roll down my cheek onto my shirt. I heard the door close behind me as she continued to prevent me from speaking. I wrapped my arms around her back and hugged her as well, and we just laid there, forcing each other to breathe through our noses.

    For the first time, I felt her. I understood her, I knew who she was more than I had ever known anyone.

    I knew that I wanted her to live.

    I knew that I wanted to live with her.

 Premonition, Premature? (2)

    I woke up on my bed alone with a note on top of my chest. She seriously wrote a whole letter and put it in an envelope just because she had to go somewhere? I was ready to tear open the envelope, but just as I grabbed at the corner of it, I noticed the pattern of the envelope. It was a light pink with darker pink colored hearts on it. She always kept this envelope on the front of her bed. Every time I walked into her room I would see it just lying there, and the one time I asked her about it all she said was that someone who she loved gave it to her. She used an envelope that was close to her heart for a letter just because she was going somewhere else? What did it mean? Did this letter have something worth a lot in it? Did she write her feelings for me in it? I took a wooden knife that was on the floor in the corner of my room and used it to carefully open the envelope. It wasn''t stuck to itself, so as soon as I lifted part of the seal I could lift the rest of it with my hand, and I quickly opened the paper that was neatly folded and placed inside the envelope.

    Good morning,

    Actually, it might be evening right now. I woke up and the sun wasn''t right above me. You were asleep and I didn''t want to wake you up, so I just slowly got off you. You made some sort of noise when I started to walk away, I wondered if I had woken you up. I''m wasting space, so anyways, I''m leaving to go get something for us to eat tonight. Chef Lince still owes me for chasing Reynold away from him that one time so I''m going to ask him if he''ll make me a fancy meal.

    Love you,

    Elle

    "Love you. Huh."

    How long had it been since someone had told me that they loved me? Well, she didn''t tell me, she wrote it to me, but that''s gotta mean something. Maybe I should ask her to tell me that she loves me when she gets back.

    No, that''s stupid. That''s very stupid. That''s the kind of thing that makes people feel unsafe around you, makes them feel like they have to act a certain way. Was she only doing this because she felt bad for me? She heard that some random kid was always getting expelled from schools, bullied, made fun of, and she thought that he needed someone to be with. Was she doing this for me?

    What if she was lying?

    No, that was also stupid. Why was I thinking about this? Was it because of the kiss? I mean I had hoped that she would come back towards me instead of running away but I didn''t expect her to kiss me. She kissed me. Why did she kiss me? She could''ve hugged me. She could''ve just walked back into my room and talked with me about how mad she was, talked about how I had abandoned her. Why did she kiss me? I asked myself that question again and again, I couldn''t understand why. If our places were switched, would I have kissed her? Would I even be there if I were in her place? Maybe I would''ve run away to the forest and she wouldn''t be able to catch me.

    Maybe if she were in my place, she wouldn''t lock me out of her room for a month. Maybe in her nightmare I would survive and run away, and she wouldn''t feel guilty.

    I don''t know. I don''t know anything. I don''t know what I''ve done to deserve her feeling this way about me. I don''t know why she came back to my door every day. I don''t know why she cared. I don''t know why she''s using a favor from Chef Lince to get us a nice meal when she could probably feed herself for a week, maybe a month. I don''t know why she used an envelope from someone who once loved her just to say that she loved me.

    I don''t get it. I don''t think I can get it.

    Does she think that I''ve done something for her that means as much as what she''s doing for me? What, talking with her every day in class? Helping her with work, eating lunch with her, and spending time with her. Do all of these things mean the same as telling someone that you love them? Do all of them have something to do with love?

    She was right, it was evening. The people at the orphanage were going around to each room making sure that we were back in time for curfew, and just as they opened her door I heard her voice from the hallways.Stolen story; please report.

    "I''m here! I''m not late! I had to do something but I''m here!"

    I heard her running down the hallway and I saw her slip past the adults at the orphanage and place the things she was holding down on her bed. I saw the other people back away as Miss Larche walked into her room. She was holding her right wrist in her left hand, but she turned her back to me as she was talking to Elle.

    "Might I ask what you have brought with you to this orphanage?"

    "I have brought offerings for Phrosus."

    Miss Larche paused a second. She didn''t sound actually interested in what Elle had, more like she was just saying things. I don''t know, it seemed like she was reading something out loud, like someone was telling her what to say.

    "You''ve been praying quite often lately. Have you received whatever you have given so much to ask for?"

    "I have, Miss Larche. I wanted to offer this to him as thanks for all he has done for me."

    Miss Larche turned around and looked at me for a few seconds. Her eyes were half closed, and she just stood there silently watching me. I wasn''t moving at all. We both stood there. Sat there? Sat and stood there for a few seconds just looking at each other before she slowly turned around again to look at Elle.

    "Well, I''m sure Phrosus is very appreciative of your penance."

    She turned away again and walked down the hallway back to her room. Elle looked at me for a second before beginning to grin as she opened up the bag she had with her. How did she even get that much food? She said she would only get a meal from him but that looked like enough to feed everyone at a banquet. It looked like the kind of food Reynold would bring with him for lunch, but there was so much more than I thought there would be. The other adults came by and closed our doors. After they had closed mine I went and got the candle from underneath my bed.

    The two rocks. Where were the two rocks? Every time I wanted to light a candle they were right there in the corner of my room. Did the adults come and take them? When? They were there for the whole month that I had shut myself in here. Who could have come and taken them? Did they come while I was asleep? How was I going to eat with Elle? Where would she keep the food if we couldn''t see well enough to enjoy it? I couldn''t just find rocks like those anywhere.

    I was searching around the floor with my arms and legs everywhere that I could without making any noise. Eventually, I gave up and lied back down on my bed. I''d have to tell Elle that we would need to find some other way. Maybe I would have to tell her that she should give the food back to Chef Lince. I''m an idiot. All I had to do was keep the things that were in my room the entire time that I was locking myself in here close by and I couldn''t even do that. What would she think? She went out and used a favor of hers just so we could eat together and now we wouldn''t even be able to do that. What would she think? Would we start out whatever this is with her unhappy, with her thinking about how I let her down?

    I heard my door slowly creak open and just as I prepared to mumble to her that I couldn''t find the two stones I heard the sound that they made coming from where she was. She closed the door behind her and I just sat there for a few seconds before talking.

    "You had them the whole time? I thought I lost them!"

    I whispered as loud as I could without being heard.

    "I wanted to get them out of your room because the door was open. The other people told me that they saw us on your bed together, so if the door was closed they''d probably open it and find them."

    "I didn''t know you were that smart."

    "I brought you food and saved your rocks, you really want to tease me right now?"

    "I''m sorry, I just- I''m sorry."

    She picked the candle up off my bed and I opened the window so she could go outside. She ran with the candle and rocks far away into the field and I heard the rocks bang together. She walked back slowly with the rocks and candle and handed me the candle while she climbed back in through the open window. I got off the bed and placed the candle on the floor in front of it.

    I was waiting for her to take the food out of the bag while I was sitting on the floor, but she just stood there and stared at me. After a few seconds of just staring at each other, she walked towards me and knelt down as she wiped her finger across my cheek.

    "Hey, it''s alright. I''m not mad at you for teasing me."

    "What are you doing? I know that."

    "Celio, you''re crying."

    I was? I couldn''t tell before, but now I felt tears rolling down my face. Why was I crying? Was I upset because I thought I had lost the rocks? No. She had them, it wasn''t an issue. Why was I crying?

    I couldn''t get it. She did all of this for me, she lied to Ms. Larche, she defended me to Reynold, and she got food from Chef Lince. Why was she doing this for me? What had I done for her? Why am I able to sit here and enjoy a meal that nobles get?

    I couldn''t take it anymore, and I started crying uncontrollably. She leaned against the wall with her arms open, and I held her tightly again with my face on her shoulder. I felt the tears leave my face and drop onto her clothes. I had to get up, I couldn''t be doing one more thing to hurt her. I tried to move but she wouldn''t let me. She was pulling me closer to her, and my arms were already wrapped around her.

    I sat there in an odd position and cried until I couldn''t make any more tears, and she sat there in an odd position with me.

    What have I done in my life to deserve this?

 Premonition, Premature? (3)

    I woke up and she hadn''t left this time. We were both still in an odd position, and when I tried to move my entire body ached. How did we fall asleep? I felt like I would never stop crying. Like I would lie there in her arms until the end of time sobbing over everything that had happened to me over the past thirteen years. After trying and failing to move, I lifted my head just enough so I could see her face. She was awake too, and she smiled at me as I lifted my head to look at her. I smiled back. It was the least I could do.

    "Can you move?"

    "Sorry, I-"

    "I didn''t mean it like that. I was making sure you were alright."

    My cheeks burned up. Was I embarrassed because I didn''t get what she was saying? Was I embarrassed that I fell asleep in her arms and woke up in the same place?

    "No, I can''t move."

    "Well I don''t want to hurt you, so can I pick you up and put you on your bed?"

    "Are you alright? Is your shoulder okay?"

    "It hurts a bit, but you''re probably worse. You haven''t eaten anything good for a month, we didn''t even eat last night."

    That''s right, we fell asleep without even touching the bag. The food might have gone bad.

    I can''t believe I''m worrying about food going bad. I''m still unable to believe that she used her favor with Chef Lince just so we could have a good meal together. She inched away from me and slowly put my head on the ground. I could move, but I felt horrible every time I tried. When she failed to lift me up for the second time I decided to just get myself to the bed.

    "I''m sorry, I would lift you up if I could."

    "It''s alright."

    "How are you still this heavy after not eating for a month?"

    She grinned at me for what felt like the first time in a while.

    "Don''t do that."

    "Do what?"

    "Don''t make me laugh after the last two days."

    I started to cry again, softer this time. She wiped the tears from my eyes and pulled my hair back as she spoke in a softer tone.

    "Do you even have any tears left to give me?"

    "Give you?"

    "Was that not what you did last night?"

    "I wouldn''t say giving... more like leaving behind to whoever wants them."

    "Well I have them and I wanted them, so does that mean you gave them to me?"

    "You wanted me to cry?"

    "There you go."

    "What?"

    "Do I need to make you look at yourself in a mirror? I can usually tell when I''m smiling."

    I couldn''t, but now I knew I was. Why was she treating me like this? It felt like she was some sort of adult, like Miss Larche. That thought disgusted me. It felt like I loved an adult. Not that kind of family love where you look up to them, where you want to be like them, I felt the kind of love that should be given to someone my age, someone who knows the things that I do. I looked at her and I saw the spitting image of Miss Larche. Someone who thinks before doing anything, someone who has this power in her voice.

    I didn''t like that. I didn''t like that I saw Miss Larche in her, I saw the same thing back when she tried to force me to be friends with those assholes who said that they were only friends with Reynold for the money. Their families aren''t dirt poor. I don''t see them in the orphanage. What reason do they have to just go along with everything he says? Because their parents said so?

    I don''t know where she got this from. I couldn''t tell you how a child ever figured out how to act this way. I didn''t like it. I didn''t like it when adults talked down to me, when they treated me like I was someone that they had to guide through everything. They looked at my every move and found a way to criticize it, they found a way to put themselves next to me and tell me how everything I was doing was wrong and how I should just listen to them.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    She must be hanging around the teachers. Maybe in her time chasing Reynold away from whatever place he wants to ruin she learned about the way that these people speak, the way that they treat each other. She acted like she was like me. She acted like we were similar because we both lost someone. She acted like her random "friend," if you could even call it that getting herself lost in the woods was some tragedy that was the same as losing your entire life and being forced to go on. She wanted to make me think that we were the same. She wanted to control me.

    I knew all this, but that wasn''t what was making me mad. I couldn''t describe it, this feeling that something else was going on. There must be something else. I get every part of why I''m annoyed, every part of why I shouldn''t trust her. I don''t get why I feel like I''m about to yell at her.

    "Are you alright? You''ve been staring at me without speaking for a while-"

    "I don''t think that I like this."

    She paused for a second and then got off of me. She took a few steps back and leaned on the door with her arms crossed in front of her.

    "Like what?"

    "You acting like this. It makes me feel like a child."

    "Well, you are a child. We''re both kids. Did you want to feel like an adult?"

    "You know what I mean."

    "No, I don''t."

    "You just- you- it feels weird having someone my age act this way toward me."

    "It feels weird to have someone care for you?"

    "Sure. The way you''re acting makes me feel like you''re an adult and I''m a child."

    "But we''re both kids."

    "Then why aren''t you acting like a kid?"

    "What does "acting like a kid" mean?"

    "I don''t know, crying, getting mad often, making bad decisions."

    "Do you want me to act like I''m stupid?"

    "I don''t know!"

    "Where did this come from? You were so sweet just a moment ago-"

    "I said I don''t know!"

    She just stood there and looked at me for a few seconds. It wasn''t like before. She was angry with me. I had screwed it up already. What was I mad about?

    Had it really been that long since someone cared about me? Had I never lived with someone who checked up on me, who wanted to know how I was feeling? I don''t think I ever have, but even knowing this didn''t help. I was still mad at her. Why was I mad at her? She had gone out of her way to help me, she let me cry on her shoulder for an entire night. Why was I upset? As much as I tried to understand it, it didn''t make me any less mad. I couldn''t respond to her gaze, she must have been expecting me to apologize. What was she going to do now?

    "You''re not acting fair. Just like back then, you''re not thinking about things the way you should be. Something is stopping you."

    "The way I should be? What, is there a correct way to think?"

    "Don''t be like that."

    "Be like myself?"

    "I''m not going to stick around and have you mad at me for letting you be happy."

    "Well thank you, your majesty."

    "Stop. I don''t know where this came from. I don''t know why someone would ever act like this in your situation. I''m going to give you some time to think to yourself. You''re distraught-"

    She put her hands over her mouth after saying that last line, but she quickly returned them to their sides and continued to glare at me.

    "Yeah, get out of here."

    "I think I know what this is."

    "I''m dying to hear."

    "You can''t be happy."

    "Sure I can, I''m happy right now-"

    "No, you''re not. You can''t be happy. You''ve convinced yourself that because you have had to suffer just to get here you need to continue to suffer. You cling to it. It''s like a golden ticket that makes you special."

    "Your big argument is that I enjoy suffering?"

    "You don''t enjoy the actual suffering, you like what comes out of it. When people bully you, when teachers treat you unfairly, when you get yelled at, you don''t have to cry yourself to sleep. Instead, you can just tell yourself that it''s all a normal day for you, you who has suffered so much. If you didn''t tell yourself this, maybe you''d think about the mistakes that you made. Maybe you''d dislike yourself. You can''t live with being happy, because it means you have to accept that you''ve made mistakes. You think of yourself too highly to ever do that."

    She turned away from me, and I heard something slam on the floor as she walked down the hallway. I peeked my head outside my door to find the bag on the ground. She had already run down the hallway and made her way outside the orphanage.

    Why did I act that way? Every single thing I''ve done over the past month I regret. I hate this. I hate being mad, but I can''t stop. The way that I feel about her is a mystery. Is she acting like this because of me locking her out for a month? Maybe she should. I would hate someone if they did that to me, I already told her how it''s a miracle that she stayed.

    Why doesn''t she get it? She can sit there with me for hours letting me cry with her but she can''t understand why I''m mad that she''s acting this way? Why did I even let her in my room to begin with? Why did I like her? What did I ever see in her?

    I hate her. I hate every single thing that she''s done in the time that I''ve been here. If it was just me, I could learn to deal with Reynold. I would ignore him, and he''d probably just go away to be mean to someone else. Even if he didn''t stop, I could deal with it. Maybe I''d move to another town, and the cycle would repeat. I''d be fine with that. I had learned to deal with that.

    She wanted me to stay. She wanted to ruin my plan. Sure, it wasn''t nice having to move towns every few months but I''d get out of it eventually. I''d settle down and find a town that accepts me, without a noble or a horrible teacher to drive me out. I''d become an adult either way and then I''d go on to live my life. She wanted me to give that up, and for what?

    She''s the issue.

    Maybe that shouldn''t have been a nightmare.

    Maybe she should''ve died in that forest.

 Premonition, Premature? (4)

    She didn''t come back, and so I went to school the next day.

    I wasn''t going to let her force me around. I was going to fix myself, I was going to act correctly. I would do it all without her. It''s not that hard to get the answers to the questions they all ask, I just find it boring. But that''s alright. I''ll find a way.

    I have to. If I don''t, it''s back to doing whatever she says. Soon I''ll be a servant.

    When I walked into the classroom, nobody said anything to me. I watched as Reynold stared at me until I sat down in my normal seat. Elle wasn''t in the seat next to me, actually I didn''t even see her in the room.

    She must be avoiding me. Maybe she''s back at the orphanage doing something to my room. Maybe she''s preparing to run away. I don''t know.

    "Hello, Celio. It''s good to have you back."

    "Yeah."

    "I beg your pardon?"

    "Sorry, Miss Daoust. It''s been a long month. I am happy to be back. I apologize for my lateness, I had a hard time getting ready."

    "I was afraid you had lost your manners. I am glad that Miss Larche was right about you."

    "Hm? What did Miss Larche say about me?"

    "Now now, adults should not share their private conversations with children."

    "Very well."

    She looked at me with an odd smile on her face. No, it wasn''t odd. The problem was that it was real. It wasn''t like the fake ones that she would give me when I interrupted her, or did something to annoy her. Had she ever smiled? Like smiled smiled? I don''t know.

    "Well, if a month in solitude yields these results I must say your maturation was certainly worth the wait."

    Now how do you respond to something like that? "Thanks"? I wasn''t some sort of new person. I''ve always been this way. Whatever. I''ll just smile at her and not talk. I might say something to get her mad again if I do.

    "Well, I shouldn''t spend all of class fawning over a student. I''m sure the other teachers would find this behavior quite unbecoming if they were to find themselves near this room currently."

    She walked back over to the front of the classroom and brought me my own piece of parchment and a quill for writing.

    "You do remember our introduction of urie before you left, don''t you?"

    "I do."

    "Wonderful. Now for this problem, we will imagine urie as simply the letter ''u''."

    She put her piece of parchment on the wall and wrote the problem for all of us to see.

    "Now if two of ''u'' plus an additional seven is equal to fifteen, then what can we say ''u'' is equal to? Remember, do not provide me with an oral answer. Write it down on your paper and I will check it."

    The rest of the class didn''t write. Was she trying to make them do problems that she usually gave to me? How far had they gotten in the month I was locked in my room?

    "Ah, yes. My mistake. For the rest of the class, please answer the following question: what is two multiplied by three?"

    "So two of ''u'' is equal to-"

    "Remember, Celio. We were trying to get you out of speaking through your answers. If you ever pursue a higher level of academia I am sure your peers will mind such a habit quite severely."

    It was hard to sound it out in my head with the rest of the class speaking so loud. I had asked Miss Daoust to get them to speak more quietly but she just said that I should be able to do it by myself. If I asked her again I''d ruin all of her goodwill, so I just went through the pain of having to think to myself while they all talked as though they were eating lunch.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Two of ''u'' plus another seven is equal to fifteen. So two of ''u'' minus the seven from both, so that becomes equal to eight.

    I had written down the answer on my parchment already and I raised my hand so Miss Daoust would see. She walked over from her chair to me and looked at my paper quickly.

    "Good job, Celio. How about we give you more of a challenge?"

    I nodded at her.

    "Imagine two of ''u'' is equal to another number, let us say nine. Now what does ''u'' become?"

    So two of what fits into nine. Four becomes eight. Five becomes ten.

    "I- don''t know?"

    "I think you do. What comes between four and five?"

    What does come between four and five? Is there something in between four and five?

    "I can see you are confused. We can go back to the other problems that I have given you. This is something that only those in the levels of academia that adults pursue start to learn."

    "No I want to learn it, but I just don''t get it now."

    She had been smiling at me this whole time. It was weird. I felt weird, but I also wanted to know what she was talking about. I had never talked with Miss Daoust like this. She was always screaming at me.

    Well, if Elle was truly controlling me this whole time I don''t see why they shouldn''t have hated me. I hate the me from the other day, the one that cried on her shoulder. The person that would listen to someone if they treated them nicely.

    "Very well, I shall try with the most effort to let you understand this idea. Imagine the lunch you are provided with."

    "So a sandwich?"

    "Sure. Imagine a sandwich. Now imagine someone approaches you and informs you that they didn''t receive a proper meal. What would you do?"

    "I would share my sandwich with them."

    "Of course! Such a thing is only right for someone who has found themselves most unlucky. Now if you wanted to share your sandwich, how much of the sandwich would you give them?"

    "I would give them half of the sandwich."

    "Precisely."

    "''Precisely''? Precisely what? I still don''t get it."

    "Half of the sandwich."

    "Yeah?"

    "Half of the sandwich."

    "Miss Daoust, I am sorry but you repeating it isn''t helping me understand what you''re trying to say."

    "Alright, I will try to add more detail to this example. If you were to eat the entire sandwich, how much of the sandwich would be there?"

    "None of it?"

    "Right. So you can say, maybe oddly but nonetheless, that there is ''zero'' of the sandwich?"

    "Sure? That is odd."

    "You can also say that when you have not eaten any of the sandwich, you could say that there is one of the sandwich."

    "Yes."

    "So we have two numbers now, zero and o-"

    The bells of the school rang and I needed to get to Miss Larche''s class. If I didn''t show up on time for my first day she was sure to be mad at me.

    "Well, Celio, I believe this would be the first time I would keep you after class for something unrelated to a reprimand."

    "I am very sorry Miss Daoust, but I want to arrive on time for all my classes today."

    She smiled even more than before.

    "I want you to know, Celio, when I berated you I never did as such out of hate."

    Here comes an awkward conversation. She was pausing before every word, trying to say whatever it is she was, well, trying to say, in a way that wouldn''t make her seem like a bad person.

    "I used to love teaching. I once taught in the halls of Rouchee."

    "I would love to hear this story shortly after Zaehval, however, I must make my way to Miss Larche."

    "Oh my, am I truly serving as such a detriment that you resort to flattery? Very well, should your words be true you may find me residing within my personal quarters after Zaehval."

    "I will see you then, Miss Daoust. Have a good day."

    "Yes, I wish the same to you."

    I ran down the hallway. Well. I "ran" down the hallway. Elle would consider it running.

    No, I can''t think of her right now.

    I hadn''t been thinking of her for that entire class. I was able to distract myself.

    How was I able to do that, exactly? Was I actually interested in what Miss Daoust had to say? Maybe it wasn''t that it was her, maybe I was interested in the things that she was teaching me.

    One and zero. Half of the sandwich. In between four and five. These snippets of sentences were stuck in my head, and they overpowered the usual noise of the hallways when we moved between classes. What did she mean when she talked about them? What was this thing that was in between two numbers? How can there be a thing in between numbers, they''re numbers. Four is in between three and five, and that''s all there is, right?

    Well, I''d ask her more about it later after Zaehval. She''s probably wondering why I''m acting like this.

    This feels good. Oddly. It doesn''t feel right, but I enjoy learning. Reynold would be jumping for joy if he ever heard me say that. I couldn''t tell anyone about it and expect them to get it. Well, maybe I could tell a teacher, I''m sure they''d be very happy that someone enjoys being taught. Any other kid would look at me like I''m crazy. I mean sure, they have fun doing the projects and going outside. Eating for free isn''t bad, of course. But they would start yawning and rolling their eyes when they were asked to add two numbers, or to write a sentence about how they''re feeling.

    I like it. I like confusing them. It makes me feel like-

    "-I''m a cool guy."

    I don''t know why I said that part out loud. A few people in the hallway looked at me like I had just punched someone in the face so I covered my face with my hands and put my head down as I made my way through the other kids to get into Miss Larche''s class.

    "Well, Celio. I suppose I should congratulate you for being present on time in my class for the first time since you arrived here in Neuport."

 Premonition, Premature? (5)

    I got through the entire day without a single teacher getting mad at me. None of them raised their voices, and for the first time, I got something to eat that I actually liked. I did end up going back to Miss Daoust after Zaehval, but she still couldn''t make me understand what she was talking about.

    She did seem very happy that I showed up though.

    There had to be someone pulling their strings here, someone who was forcing them to act nicely to me. It didn''t make sense. A month away is all it takes for them to like me again? Forget "again," did they ever like me to begin with?

    Mister Savard was always nice to me, but the rest of them acted like I was some bug eating the plants in their garden.

    I ran all the way from the school back to the orphanage. On my way there, I went into the town and decided to spend some time walking around.

    I''ve never just been able to spend my time how I want to, I was always doing what Elle wanted.

    The sun was about to set, and so people were rushing around with food and other things that they had gotten. I just stood in one spot while people ran like they would die if they walked around me, and waited for them to get back to their homes. After a bit of just standing still and trying not to get trampled, I was able to watch the sun go down under the houses in front of me.

    The middle of the town had a statue of Lieutenant Bainard that had turned a light shade of blue. I hope that the cleaners come back some time in this century. Miss Larche told me that nobody from any major city came to the small town of Articulago. Reynold was here though, he always bragged about how he used to live in the palace of Arten.

    Maybe he wasn''t as great as he talked about. I didn''t end up talking to him at all today, actually. He must have made fun of me at some point, but I didn''t hear anything. I didn''t hear the usual laughing, I didn''t even hear him say anything.

    Today was weird. I didn''t know how to tell anyone. If I told the teachers, they''d probably just say that I''m thinking too hard. If I told Miss Larche, she''d say the same thing. Well, she is a teacher.

    After the sun went down and the sky turned dark blue I ran back to the hill the orphanage was on. I was running so fast that I dropped the quill Miss Daoust had given me somewhere in the grass. I didn''t have time to go back and get it, I''d probably find it on my way out tomorrow.

    As soon as I got to the orphanage, I needed to keep my eyes off of her room. I was prepared to sprint straight to my room and slam the door shut. I couldn''t resist, and I quickly looked into Elle''s room. She was there, sitting on her bed.

    Right when she saw me, she immediately got up and tried to run into my room. I got there first and slammed the door on her. I heard a loud bang as I slammed the door. Did I hit her?

    I didn''t hear her say anything, or any cries or adults rushing down the hallway so I''m pretty sure she''s fine.

    "Come on, I spend a whole day away from you and you''re still acting like this?"

    She didn''t have any reason to be annoyed. She was the one who acted this way. If she just stopped acting like this maybe I would talk to her, but she didn''t want to change. She wanted to explain why she was right.

    "You''re the one who said I was acting unfair. What, have you changed your mind?"

    "What is with you? I can never tell what''s going on. One day you''re not letting me in your room, the next we''re crying on each other''s shoulders, and now you''re mad at me and I don''t even know why!"

    "I told you why. You just didn''t want to listen."

    "I did listen! I listened as you told me that caring for you is "acting like an adult," well what am I supposed to do? Do you want me to be like Reynold?"

    "You know I don''t want you to be like Reynold, but you''ve always been like this."

    "Like what? You keep on saying that you''re mad at what I''m doing but you haven''t even told me what I did that made you mad!"

    "You want to control me! And don''t you dare say that you don''t, because I know that it''s true. You know what I did today? I just walked around. I answered questions in class. The teachers liked me. Reynold didn''t say a SINGLE THING. I had some time to myself, I got to walk around the town."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "I can''t believe you."

    "No, I can''t believe you! The entire time I was here I thought that this was just another bad time caused by me, another town that I''ll have to move away from because my mom died or whatever other excuse I use, but it was YOU!"

    "Celio, stop!"

    Her voice was changing, she sounded like she was about to cry.

    "No! I could have had other friends, Elle. I could be at a dinner table with other families, maybe sharing a meal with one of the teachers! Every single part of my day that is horrible was NOWHERE to be found when you weren''t THERE!"

    "Celio, I-"

    If I continued to scream, someone else would hear.

    "Why did you do it? Why did you decide that I had to be the person who would do everything you asked of them?"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about-"

    She was probably crying at this point. My ears were ringing and I felt light in the head, but I knew it from her voice.

    "What about Reynold? You know what''s funny about him not saying anything to me, it made me wonder. Why would he lay back when you''re not there? You know what adults say? They say that when a boy does mean things to you, it means that he likes you. Y''know cause he''s trying to get your attention and all."

    "Please, please. Please stop."

    "Why didn''t you go for him, Elle? A noble, someone who always gets to eat food cooked by Chef Lince. Seems like a good way to live an easy life."

    She couldn''t respond anymore. She was just crying on the other side of the door, and I didn''t hear any footsteps or noises on the door.

    "I wish that what I saw wasn''t a nightmare. I wish that I hadn''t opened that door when you started to walk away."

    Now I heard footsteps. They were soft, and they had this weird connection, like every single step was forced to be a certain way. It was Miss Larche.

    "Go on now, back to your room, Elle."

    I heard her run into her room, but she didn''t slam her door. Well, who would with Miss Larche right there?

    "Is there anything you would like to tell me, Celio?"

    "No, Miss Larche?"

    "Are you sure? Someone who you would call your friend has been left outside your door crying yet again-"

    "No, I wouldn''t."

    "Beg your pardon?"

    "I would not call Elle my friend, Miss Larche."

    She paused for a second and sighed before speaking again.

    "I see. Please get to bed, Celio."

    "I will, Miss Larche."

    I had nothing else to do. I closed my window and wrapped myself in my sheet. I tried to go to sleep, and so I just laid there staring into my closed eyes.

    I heard a knock on the door after a while, had Miss Larche come back? She was probably going to talk to me about Elle, but I already knew what I would say. Even if she tried her hardest to convince me that I should be friends with her, at the end of the day she couldn''t force me to do anything I didn''t want to.

    "Who is it?"

    "It''s me."

    It was Elle. She didn''t sound like she was crying anymore, and it was probably the middle of the night so she wouldn''t make a lot of noise. I opened the door to find her with a candle and in clothes that I had never seen her wear before. It was a pink gown with some padded white thing near her neck, and it seemed like the string there held up the entire thing.

    "Why are you here?"

    She walked into my room and placed the candle on my bed.

    "I wanted to say that I''m sorry for how I''ve been acting."

    That was quick. So she admits that she was acting the whole time? I''m glad that she''s telling me the truth but I can''t just forgive her.

    "Well, thank you for telling me the truth. We can have this talk tomorrow, but it''s too late right now."

    Before I could motion for her to go back to her room, she pulled at the string by her neck, and her entire gown came off. I wanted to scream but I knew if I did the adults would come running. They would blame me first. Did she plan this?

    "What are you doing?"

    I whispered as loud as I could.

    "I love you, Celio."

    "I don''t think you had to take off your clothes to tell me that!"

    She blew out the candle and then jumped onto me, pushing me onto the bed.

    "What the- what are you- get off me!"

    "Don''t you love me, Celio?"

    "Get off!"

    I was touching way more of her than I ever wanted to. I felt disgusting, like I was taking a bath in someone''s blood. Even if I swam in the rivers of Aerdal for a day I wouldn''t be able to get rid of this feeling. Why couldn''t I move? She was never stronger than me, how was she able to pin me down?

    "I want you to love me, Celio."

    "Stop saying my name! I don''t know why you''re doing this but this isn''t making me like you any more! Get off of me!"

    "Just relax, Celio. Let me love you, let me treat you how I wish you would treat me."

    I struggled as much as I could. I kicked her, I tried to move my hands that she was holding down on my bed. I tried to move my chest. I couldn''t do anything. I turned my head to the side when she tried to kiss me.

    What would I do? I needed to do something. I hated this. I hated everything about this. Why was she doing this? My ears started to ring again. I couldn''t even feel what she was doing anymore.

    It felt like I was drowning. I kept trying to get above the water just to be pushed back down again. Swim up, pushed down. Swim up again, pushed down again. I don''t care if they hear. I don''t care if she gets hurt. I need to breathe. I need to breathe!

    When I opened my eyes again, I could move.

    She wasn''t on top of me, and I got off the bed as fast as I could in case she tried to jump on me again. The candle wasn''t lit anymore, but the moon was shining through the window just enough so I could see her.

    She was in the corner of my room, and I could barely see her but I could tell that she was bleeding. I heard the blood hit the floor.

    They were going to come running, they would definitely come and punish me.

    I looked out the door, but I couldn''t see anything. The moon was lighting up my entire room, but everything past that was pitch black.

    I looked back at Elle and saw that she was standing up. Before I could speak she stretched her arm out in front of her and pointed down.

    "Well, I tried."

    Before I could scream, I had sunk into the floor.

 1:5

    I opened my eyes to see an empty area. I looked up and saw a field of nothing. Everything was just gray, all the same color. There was no light, but I could still see.

    I walked forward for a bit, with nothing else to do. I didn''t hear any noises, and just looked at the land around me. There were pillars of rocks, boulders, I thought I saw a mountain off in the distance. None of it seemed like anything. It was just there.

    I couldn''t remember what happened before I came down here. I was in my bedroom with Elle, and then I had thrown her into the wall. She said something. I didn''t remember what it was.

    I must have walked around for a whole day, eventually even the large mountains just looked the same as the ground. It didn''t look like anything. It was like a sky without color. You could look into it, and it would still be the same. I looked around for so long that I couldn''t even tell if I was still standing up.

    I tripped and fell on my back, and I couldn''t get back up. Everything around me looked the same, I don''t know which way I''m looking.

    A noise! Finally! I heard the sound of a fast wind coming my way, but I still couldn''t move. I could tell where the sound was coming from, though. I turned my head to face the sound, and slowly got up without being able to see anything. I wonder if this is how the world looks like to the blind.

    The wind was coming toward me, faster than I could react. Before I knew it I could see something. There was someone right in front of me.

    "Where have you come from?"

    In another second they were already gone. The wind rushed right past me, it felt like I was in the middle of a tornado, but my feet didn''t move. I still felt the ground underneath me.

    The wind came from every direction, and voices popped up just to disappear.

    "Who are you?"

    "Why are you not with us?"

    "He is so young!"

    "How can he be one of us?"

    "What is your name, young man?"

    The wind didn''t pick up again.

    "What?"

    "I asked you what your name was. I do not know how long I may remain before I am swept away once more, please do grant me an answer."

    "Celio- I think that''s my name?"

    "You ''think''? How does one forget their own name? I have been thrown around for endless time yet I still know the moniker of Brindle the Sturdy."

    "I don''t know- I- I''m not sure where I am."

    "Well, I still can not tell if you are truly one of us. We usually see the arrivals gather before him."

    "Him? What? Arrivals-"

    He was blown away by the wind.

    "You are not supposed to be here."

    Was that her voice? Well if she was her she could probably help me.

    "Miss Larche?"

    I turned around and saw her, but she didn''t smile at me like she usually does.

    "I do not know the name which you speak."

    "It''s you, isn''t it? What do you mean you don''t know your own name?"

    "Were you not asked that mere moments ago?"

    "I- What are you talking about? Where am I?"

    "How do I appear before you, child?"

    "What do you mean "appear"? You look like yourself, Miss Larche."

    "How do you know this ''Miss Larche''?"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    "You''ve taught me for the past few months, how could you forget me after one night?"

    She paused and opened her eyes. They didn''t look like eyes at all, more like holes that let me look straight into her head. There was nothing, just pure black.

    "You are of his kind, but it has been quite the time since someone has ventured to these depths. Where is your guide?"

    "Guide? Do you mean Elle? I told you, I don''t like her-"

    "My part in this feud was meant to come much later, have they rescinded their promise to me?"

    "Miss Larche, I do not mean to be mean, but you look weird. Are you sick?"

    She closed her eyes again.

    "Listen, child. Whoever you see before you is not what is actually before you. They are merely an image in your mind of me."

    "What are you talking about? Miss Larche I want to go back to my bedroom."

    "Open your eyes, child."

    "What do you mean? My eyes are open. I''m looking at you right now."

    She put her hands on the sides of my head. Since when were her hands so big? Was she even putting her entire hand on me? It felt like a single finger.

    "Child, open your eyes."

    I forced my eyes more open than they already were for a few seconds, and a burst of light was there right as I was finally able to see. The things around me were no longer gray, and I could see the mountains and pillars that had disappeared. I saw people flying around, all of them lying without moving while they were thrown between rocks and... more rocks.

    I looked toward the voice that I had heard and-

    Everything that had happened came back to me as I saw him. He was gigantic, bigger than any of the major cities in Articulago. How did Elle send me down here? How- just where was I? Was there a cave as large as this right below the orphanage? Everything was rushing through my head at max speed, I couldn''t take it!

    I closed my eyes just as I threw up. I felt his finger on my back as I threw up, slowly patting me. I felt like I would pass out. I heard some words coming from him that I couldn''t make out, and after about a minute of throwing up, I was standing upright without any issue.

    When I looked back at him-

    Looked? My eyes were closed. How was I seeing anything?

    "How can I see?"

    "How do I appear before you now, child?"

    "Where am I?"

    "They have sent you to me for a reason I have yet to discern. They often meddle with lives that should be kept out of their control."

    I had stopped throwing up but I still couldn''t think straight. Why did Elle send me here? Just where am I? How could I- What- I- I can''t breathe! I can''t stand! I put my head down, I was about to throw up again. My chest hurt. My legs shook like they were about to crumble.

    I was back. I felt his finger on me once more, and I stood with no issues.

    "Must I coddle you endlessly? Do not struggle to comprehend that which is around you. You will be clear of this plane with due time. Should you wish to remain sane, you must keep your eyes fully closed."

    I shut my eyes like I was forcing myself to fall asleep. I pulled them closed until I couldn''t feel my face anymore, and when I finally stopped I no longer felt sick. I brought my head back up and looked forward, I saw a black dot right in front of me.

    "Now, how do I appear before you at this instant?"

    I could barely view him, but when I moved a bit to the side I saw a line. Something like a drawing made by a young kid.

    "You look like a squiggly line, kind of like a really thin wurm?"

    "Very well. Walk with me, child. I must bring you to a place away from these men."

    The line started moving away, and I started walking with it. As long as I could see the line I was able to do everything normally, but when I looked away from it I felt like I would throw up again.

    "How can I see?"

    "Hm? Ah. Well, it would be quite the burden on your undeveloped state to explain the images you are viewing. Perhaps when you come to me again I shall grant you an explanation."

    Wha- So he was just going to not answer me? Now he really seemed like Miss Larche.

    "Listen, child. You are not supposed to be here."

    "Then why am I here?"

    "I do not know that, all I can say is that you must wait to be returned. I am going to take you to a place reserved for those closest to the gentle nightmare that lies above. While I converse with that which has stranded you here, I ask that you wait with them."

    "Closest to "what lies above"? Does that mean they''re close to where I came from?"

    "Well, in a sense, yes. They shall accompany you for the time I shall leave you here. I would rather you find conversation with them than the others that are fully subject to the conditions of this place."

    After that, we walked for moments without speaking at all. This entire time I didn''t hear any footsteps from him, he sounded more like a stick being dragged on the ground.

    The sound of that stick suddenly stopped, and I felt his finger stop me from walking any further.

    "You are unable to traverse this part by yourself, child. Remain still, I shall bring you across."

    I didn''t take another step. I felt a new ground on my feet. It wasn''t flat, and it was very soft. I couldn''t stay standing, and I tripped and fell into it. It felt like my bed, sort of. It was kind of oily, and I felt dirty lying on it. I was just lying there waiting for him to let me go for a while. I needed to draw a bath for myself when he brought me back to the orphanage.

    "You may open your eyes now, Child."

    "I can''t. I shut them too hard when you told me to."

    "Very well."

    He turned away from me and toward whatever was in front of me.

    "This child is my guest, If I am to find him in a state any different than the one I view now, you shall find yourselves with a different seer."

    "Truly? You let us remain here in eternity and yet we have not your trust to leave a child untouched?"

    "I was primarily speaking to you. Your peers have proven their placement, you may as well be here through nothing but courtesy."

    "Well, I am sure you understand what is to happen if you tread upon that courtesy. It was not yours to give."

    "I do not wish to produce a heinous display of violence, however, you must acknowledge that your words incite such actions before they come to fruition."

    Both of them stopped speaking, and I saw the line go far up above me. Eventually, it turned back into a dot and then fully disappeared, and I was left with random voices that were all around. I still couldn''t open my eyes.

    The first voice I heard was a woman''s.

 1:5 (2)

    "How did someone as young as you find your way down here? Is it possible for children to venture below that accursed mirage above?"

    "That guy who just left said that I''m not supposed to be here right now."

    "Did they? How have you found yourself amongst us, then?"

    "He said something about people sending me down here, I don''t know. He just told me to wait so I''m waiting."

    "Well, I do wish you''ll indulge me, dear child. It has been so long since any object of intrigue has passed through this lonely castle."

    "Indulge?"

    A different male voice came from behind her.

    "How young could you possibly be? When I left the men of my age had chosen to educate their next of kin."

    Another female voice came in from behind me. I couldn''t see any of them, I was only looking at the grey in front of me, but their voices did not come with a body so I could see where they were.

    "I do not believe it fair to judge the state of this child nor his development on the knowledge of a sole word."

    A different male voice came in from my left.

    "I do believe she was trying to say something before she was quite rudely interrupte-"

    "Speak no more, oaf. Have you any purpose other than that of a needless echo?"

    Another separate male voice spoke from my right.

    "I am glad you two have found a proper excuse to revisit a tired conflict."

    "Silence!"

    It was the first voice that screamed at the rest. Everyone stopped talking immediately, and she spoke to me again.

    "Child, I will rephrase my request so you may understand it. I wish for you to answer my questions, would you accept this request?"

    "Why do you bother with this inquisition? His marks are absent, [ ]!"

    I didn''t quite hear what he said, it just sounded like a random noise that I couldn''t explain. I immediately felt a huge pain in my head, and I dropped to the ground. It was like I got hit in the head by a large rock, my ears were ringing so loud that I couldn''t even hear myself fall. I immediately felt hands all over me. Three of them were on my head, there must have been another six or seven on my legs and arms. There was one right on the middle of my back.

    I laid on the ground shaking in pain for a while, and the ringing only stopped after the shaking did. When I could hear something again, the first person I heard was her.

    "You fool! Did you not view his eyes as closed? Do you truly wish to defy the will left for us in their absence?"

    "You should aim your anger at the ones above, this reaction is only proof that you have been forgotten."

    "I do not care for my memory when I witness a cruel man torture a child needlessly."

    "Your hyperbole falls on deaf ears, the child''s only obstacle to recovering is your hold on him."

    I stopped feeling the hands on my head and back, and I slowly got up. My legs weren''t shaking but I felt very dizzy, and as I lifted my head up I tripped over myself and stumbled back a bit. She spoke again.

    "This simply will not do."

    She snapped her fingers, and I was lifted up by my chest off the ground. When I was put back down, I was sitting. It wasn''t hard like the ground I was standing on, no, it was really soft. It was like my bed, but softer. It felt like I was sitting on a cloud.

    I lifted my head again, and when I was looking forward I actually saw people, but these weren''t random lines or adults, they were people from school. Elle was the farthest from me, with Reynold right next to her. The rest of Reynold''s friends were spread around the area in front of me. I looked to my right and saw that far away there were two teachers, Miss Daoust and Mister Savard. When I looked to my left, I saw the person who had picked me up.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    It was me.

    I just stared at him without saying anything. The line told me that what I''m seeing right now isn''t real. My eyes are closed so it can''t be real. It wasn''t like looking in a mirror, he didn''t really look like me, but he wore my clothes, he had my hair.

    "Have I assumed your form?"

    "What?"

    "Do I look like you, child?"

    "Yeah- yeah, you do."

    Her voice came back from far away.

    "Quite interesting. Please move away from the child, I wish to question him some more."

    "He should move away before I move at all."

    The third male voice was behind me now.

    "I was planning to surprise the child. You are quite the pesky individual."

    He walked around the thing I was sitting on, and I looked at him. He wasn''t one of Reynold''s friends, and he wasn''t one of the teachers from the school. Was that-

    "Venio Penilago?"

    How was he here? I thought he was assassinated centuries ago. Did he escape? How was he still alive? Did he use some sort of magic? Why was he here?

    "Well, if I have appeared as myself in front of you that must mean you are a subject of mine."

    "I- yeah. I was born in Penilago."

    "Well, that is the best of news I have heard since I arrived here. Since he is of my kingdom, do I hear any objections to being the first to question him?"

    Nobody spoke, and he walked right in front of me and got on one knee.

    "Tell me, how long has it been since I roamed above?"

    "Can you please stop talking like that?"

    I heard a few of them gasp. He didn''t look angry, but rather surprised. Kind of happy.

    "Well, you just met your king and you instruct him on conduct? I suppose I should be overjoyed that my kingdom has raised such brazen youth."

    "I''m sorry, I-"

    "Do not apologize."

    He was smiling at me.

    "You are right. I can not expect you to understand what I say just because I understand it. I will ask my question in a different way. How long has it been since I was king?"

    "Maybe a thousand years? How did you get do-"

    "Let me ask you a few more questions before I answer any of yours. I assume the kingdom of Penilago is still alive?"

    "Uh, sort of?"

    "What do you mean by "sort of"? Does Penilago thrive or has it been reduced to ruin in your childhood?"

    "The country "Penilago" became a bigger country."

    "Did we conquer the entire continent? Which one of the kings achieved such a feat? Was it my son? Perhaps my grandson?"

    "No, we, we uh-"

    His smile started to disappear, he looked at me with his eyes further closed than before.

    "Well, it is better to tell me, child."

    "We made a deal with Icuria and Arten and became a new country with them. We did take over Maedorran and Tidugo but only together with them."

    The rest of the people there laughed, and he put his head down on his hand that was on his knee. I heard the voice of the one that looked like Reynold tease him.

    "Well, look at that. You''re not even a king anymore! You''re just a random person who will be remembered as the founder of a failed empire."

    "You''re quite hilarious. Did you think of that insult yourself or did she whisper it to you?"

    The rest of them stopped laughing except for the one that looked like me. He laughed louder than the rest of them did together, and he laughed for so long that he eventually was on his knees. Only after a while did he finally stop. The first king raised his head from his hands and looked back at me. He didn''t look sad, he didn''t look like he was feeling anything. He just sat there with a bland face.

    "Well, child, I fear your answers to the questions I had prepared. What do you wish to ask of me?"

    "How did you get here?"

    "Well, I see you are still curious about that."

    He paused and put his chin in his right hand.

    "I will have to answer this question carefully. I can not promise that you will understand what I speak of, but you must promise that you will not question me further. If I ask you a question, I will respond to it myself. Do not talk until I specifically say you can. Do you understand this?"

    He was speaking lower than he was before. His face changed from nothing to a serious expression. He looked like the principal. I nodded my head at him.

    "I require a heard response, my child. You may be hurt more than you could ever imagine should you ask for more than I can tell you. Do you promise that you will accept the answer I provide?"

    "Yes, I promise."

    "Very well."

    He removed his head from his hand and got up from the ground. He turned around and slowly walked a few steps away from me before speaking again in his normal voice.

    "Do you know what it is like to argue with them? I founded a kingdom from the rubble of restless conflict and led people who shunned me into an era of greatness. I defied the fate that was written for me, the fate that would have me maimed, beaten, and dejected, and I was rewarded with the sound of my name chanted by a crowd of joyous citizens. Even if I am forgotten, I will undoubtedly claim a role in the future of this world until everything is reduced to dust, yet I can not claim that any of my achievements outweigh that miraculous exchange."

    The rest of the people there were silently watching him. They couldn''t stand still. Some of them crossed their arms in front, others held them behind their back. The one who looked like Reynold walked away over to where the people who looked like teachers were sitting.

    "The seven of them, each with a will that yearned for violent retribution against me were somehow eased into this solution. I lost track of time after barely convincing the first to grant me so much as a moment''s audience, and by the end, it felt as though I had experienced twenty lifetimes. Lifetimes that were spent grasping at a palpable explanation for them, hoping that they would not interrupt me with a snap of their fingers and send me to some torturous eternity. I argued, yet I displayed respect. I rebutted, and I acknowledged defeat. I trod the line of proof, it was the only existence between me and an endless plummet."

    Everyone else started to slowly back away. Only the one who looked like me stayed where he was.

    "I was rewarded with a gift greater than any empire, greater than any existence I could ever know. A promise from their collective, a promise of respect that they would uphold. So I find myself here, under a protection that no being can measure up to. Now, what say you, Celio?"

    How did you know my name?

    "So you got here after your meeting with the seven lords of Terra?"

    I didn''t say that.

 1:5 (3)

    I can''t speak. Words that I wasn''t saying kept coming out of my mouth. I wasn''t saying them. I-

    "Now, my child. We must wait for a while before you may speak once more."

    How long do I have to wait? I also couldn''t move. I sat still and just looked at him while he did the same. I couldn''t say anything. I couldn''t scream. Was I breathing?

    I couldn''t tell if I was breathing. Was I even alive? Was I dead? I can''t tell. I can''t tell! I can''t do anything!

    I wasn''t breathing. I couldn''t move. Why can''t I move? I need to move! I felt my head start to swell up, and I got dizzy. I started to shake. Little black dots were appearing around me. The king started to back away and the person who looked like me was slowly walking toward me.

    "Binding him was a poor choice, Venio."

    "What was I supposed to do? No child of my empire can keep a promise."

    "You are going to get us all sent to unimaginable depths unless he is calmed down."

    What were they saying? I could barely hear what they were saying. I was shaking even more than before. My hands turned into fists, I felt my nails dig into my palms.

    Why was I keeping my eyes closed? Why was I staying still? I was doing this. I needed to stop. I needed to change. Just an inch. Just open them for a second. Something. I needed to do something. SOMETHING!

    I screamed at them, but no words came out. More and more dots appeared around me. I wanted to tell them to let me go. They weren''t doing anything. No! They must be! I can''t move! I can''t move at all!

    Let me move!

    Let me speak!

    Let me open my eyes!

    I screamed at them louder but words still weren''t coming out of my mouth. They started to get hidden by the black dots that were now grouped together around me. The grey nothingness turned to black quickly.

    "He''s going to break the binding!"

    "That''s impossible! He''s my subject, he would be forsaking his entire bloodline. That is not something you can will yourself into!"

    "Does your memory not serve you at all? Your empire has become a part of a new state!"

    I was shaking even more now. My hands hurt like I had been stabbed there. I was trying to force my eyes open. I was trying to force myself to breathe. Force myself to talk. To scream. To do anything. Anything! Anything at all.

    When can I move again? What do they mean by "bind"? Subject? Kingdom? Empire? I can''t hear them! What are they saying?

    "It still should not be possible! I understand the terms of my promise more than any other here, I can assure you that this defiance will not be found within a mere child!"

    "Do you not see the storm around him? Your assurance is meaningless. Restrain him before they are summoned!"

    "The bind must hold for only a few moments more, then he will be free to speak his mind!"

    "I will not stand idly and let you wager what is left of our existence on a bind set by a pitiful king!"

    The other people were rushing over. Even the ones who looked like Mister Savard and Miss Daoust who were ignoring me.

    I couldn''t see them. All I could see was black. I need to see. I can''t see! I can''t-

    I can''t think! Why can I never think? Why-

    I can''t-

    I-

    I forced my eyes open with all of my strength. The rest of them were running towards me, they didn''t look like my friends or my teachers anymore. In the second that I saw them, they all looked scared. I didn''t remember any of them, I didn''t know who they were any better. All the men except for one had their arms out and their hands open, were they reaching for my face?A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Finally! I could speak! I could say something! I needed to know-

    "What do you mea-"

    "NO!"

    It felt like I was struck by lightning. I heard a loud boom and then I was pushed back. Whatever I was sitting on got blown away, it felt like I actually couldn''t breathe. Not like before, I-

    I don''t know what was happening. Why did I-

    It hurts! It- I can''t stop hurting! My ears are bleeding, my head is going to explode! Somebody- Someone! I could speak, I felt myself speaking, I- I can''t hear! I can''t hear myself! I can''t see! My eyes are open! I can''t feel anything! My chest felt like it was going to explode, I knew I was screaming, but I was in too much pain to hear anything but my ears ringing. My head shaking. My body shaking. Somebody he- I can''t! Am I going to die? Please- please just let me-!

    I felt the hands all over my body again. Some were on my arms, legs, my back, and three were on my head again. Two were on my eyes with the other over my eyes. The pain didn''t stop, but I didn''t want to die anymore. Was I run over by some wild animal?

    Did the King Chidle come back from the forest and make it here? Why was I being held down again? Why-

    I can''t stop. I couldn''t think and now I can''t stop thinking. What is happening? Why is this happening to me? Why can''t I just go to school, go to bed? Look at the sun. Look at the night sky.

    Why did I just accept that my life would be horrible? Why is my life horrible?

    Why am I thinking any of this?

    Why did my Mom have to die? She couldn''t live?

    Why did people care? Why do I care?

    Why am I alive? Why am I thinking? Who-

    "CLOSE YOUR EYES!"

    The hands that were on my eyes forced them closed. After my eyelids were forced together I tried to keep them closed as hard as I could. My eyes felt sore, but the pain from the rest of my body got better and my mind stopped racing. The ringing in my ears slowly went away as well.

    Each time it sounded different. The ringing.

    Why did it sound different? It was just me being unable to hear wasn''t it-

    "Soon enough she won''t be able to protect you."

    It sounded like... me? I heard my voice. I looked up at where it was coming from, but I didn''t see anything. Everyone else was there, but the voice came from nothing. Maybe from the air, were we speaking to a bug?

    Could a bug speak?

    "Then I shall lie in wait for that time. My anticipation far exceeds yours."

    The king of Penilago was the one speaking to it. I barely was able to move my head, the king was no longer holding my ears and my eyes also weren''t covered. I saw a few of them, they all looked scared, the same way that they were before, but none of them were moving. Were they like me? Did this bug do something to them? I heard myself laugh, it wasn''t me. It was the bug. It didn''t sound like a real laugh.

    "You couldn''t even know the excitement I have. Tearing down millions of kingdoms couldn''t compare to the rush I will feel when she finally steps away."

    "Well, I''m quite delighted that you find comfort in sharing your interests with us all. You certainly have found yourself in the right environment."

    I chuckled again.

    "Your wit seems to never fail you, Penilago. If only the others knew how you played them for fools. If only they saw your gloating."

    "Bold of you to speak of gloating."

    "Alright. Have your short-lived victory."

    "I will."

    "I''m not going to let you have the last word."

    "Are you a child?"

    "I''m far more young than you. A considerable margin, in truth."

    "Don''t- sto- whatever. I''m leaving."

    I heard another boom sound, and I felt my entire body shake. He had left.

    "Well, another crisis averted."

    The hands had gotten off me again. I didn''t have any trouble standing up. The rest of them started to walk towards the king, but the one that looked like Elle got there first. She put her arm all the way behind her back just to slap him as hard as she could. The sound echoed across the entire place, and I heard some of the other people gasp. The rest of them stopped walking towards the king.

    "You- you! You absolute imbecile!"

    "Quite the display of gratitude."

    "Gratitude? Gratitude! You subject us to him and you want gratitude?"

    "Why am I the target of your blame? The child that has become an object of your adoration summoned him to this [ ]."

    I felt the same pain when he said something I couldn''t hear the first time, but I didn''t fall to the ground. I put my hands on my eyes and stared down for a few seconds, and the pain went away. When I looked back up again she had turned towards me, but when she saw me look at her she turned back to the king.

    "First you blame an innocent child for your blunders, and then you subject him to more harm? Does your depravity know no bounds?"

    "What is with you and this excessive exaggeration? I have kept the child alive, have I not?"

    She paused for a second, her hands that were waving around while she was yelling at him froze and turned into fists. When she spoke again, she wasn''t screaming, but I knew she was angry.

    "Do you truly think that any individual here believes that statement? The one you so rashly made just now?"

    "Your beliefs are meaningless to me. You asked a question, I provided an answer. What reason do you have to want more?"

    "You are ridiculously insufferable. A millennia spent and I can not bring myself to acknowledge a single aspect of your character that I find pleasant."

    "Likewise."

    "Do you wish to be slapped once more?"

    "I still do not understand why I must be held responsible for this incident, that child asked a question and was unable to abide by the terms of my answer."

    "As if any child would be able to bear the weight of this whole world on his shoulders, especially the child of a deceitful man. Did it not cross your mind to simply refuse his request? No, you believed it fit to engage in a [ ] with an adolescent."

    The pain came back again, but it was even less this time. I didn''t even move my hands over my ears, I just flinched and then went back to standing normally.

    "Well, if I were you I''d be lamenting about how "depraved" you are. You must be glad that I don''t assume such an unsightly guise."

    She slapped him with the other side of her right hand, even louder than the first.

 1:5 (4)

    "There are ways to request things of people without physical violence."

    "Your condescension is astonishing for the sick bastard you are."

    I only just noticed, but everyone was the same height. Elle''s legs didn''t grow longer, it just looked like she got bigger. How did I not see that before? She slapped him two times, right?

    "What king does not look down on his subjects?"

    Just then, she put her hands on the side of his face. I thought she was going to slam their heads together, or hurt him again but instead they-

    Did they just kiss?

    "NO!"

    The one who looked like Reynold started running towards the two of them, they kissing up until he got there and forced them away from each other. The one who looked like me walked toward me and knelt down while putting his hand on my shoulder.

    "Do not worry, this is simply how they are."

    "Were they not just fighting? I saw her slap him-"

    "Lovers'' quarrel."

    "Isn''t she- wh- what about that guy?"

    "The one that screamed just now?"

    "Yeah? I- I don''t know what''s happening right now. Aren''t they-"

    "Unfortunately, I can not explain anything to you without harming you once more. You have already been punished severely. Simply do as you''ve been told, keep your eyes closed."

    The one who looked like Reynold was pointing his finger at the king and shaking like he was going to explode.

    "Get away! Stay back! You! YOU!"

    The one who looked like Elle put her right hand on his right shoulder and started patting him.

    "Now now, he meant no harm."

    He turned back toward her and he was still shaking. He was waving his arms around crazily.

    "He- you- no harm? I am harmed!"

    "Well he may have intended to do that, but I remain unscathed."

    "I- why are you doing this? I''ve tried to-"

    "Clearly she prefers the type who would not stumble over himself."

    The king was smirking at him, the one who looked like Reynold clenched his fists. Something about seeing Elle kiss someone else annoyed me, but seeing Reynold get angry felt even better. Why was I upset? I didn''t care about her.

    "If you attack me, understand that you may lose your arm."

    "You''d draw that rusted blade?"

    "Do not be ridiculous. Your arm would break upon a moment''s contact."

    All of them started laughing except for the one who looked like Elle, but she was still chuckling. She covered her smile with her left hand and her right hand was still on the shoulder of the one who looked like Reynold. The one that looked like me laughed for the longest again. I felt like I would go deaf with him laughing this loudly while being right next to me. After another while he stopped, and the one that looked like Reynold was staring at him angrily. The one that looked like Elle spoke again.

    "I do not believe either of you truly want to fight. If you want to continue this argument please at least move away from the child, I have yet to ask him the questions I was promised answers for."

    All of them walked back to where they were when the king was talking to me except for her. She looked at the one who looked like me for a second, and he picked me up again and put my back down on the soft cloud. After that, he walked away near where the king and the one who looked like Reynold were arguing.

    "Now, will you keep that promise you made before Venio interrupted us both? Their appearance likely entails that you will be returned to your home soon enough, I must make use of the little time I have left."Stolen novel; please report.

    I nodded at her and she smiled back at me.

    "Wonderful."

    Instead of getting down on one knee in front of me like the king did, she sat next to me on the cloud.

    "Now, tell me, child, do you have anyone you love?"

    I flinched and moved slightly away from her.

    "Why are you asking me about that?"

    She chuckled.

    "Well, you did not look away when I embraced Venio, but I saw a troubled expression on you. Tell me, who do I look like to you?"

    I took a deep breath before answering her question.

    "You look like someone who I used to be friends with."

    "Why have you split apart?"

    "I figured out that she wasn''t actually my friend, that she was trying to control me."

    "Well, I can certainly tell you about being controlled. How are you sure of this, though?"

    "I''m not totally sure, but-"

    "You''re not? Your accusation holds weight, child. To be controlled by someone else is the most despicable experience you will encounter, but you must not mistake it for something else. Innocent children get hurt by lies such as those."

    "She just- she acts like an adult. She''s not an adult, she''s my age, but she''s always acting like a teacher, like my mother, really. She''s constantly making me hold her things, carry her around, and do whatever she wants, whenever she wants anything at all. Someone who is actually my friend wouldn''t do that. Nobody my age has ever done what she does."

    "Well, have you talked to her about this? Have you confronted her about these issues that stand to ruin your friendship?"

    "No, but-"

    "No? So you assume malice in her? You believe without confirmation that she would move to hurt you? To put you through misery for her own gain?"

    "What do you- Why do you care?"

    "Why do I care? Sweet child, I have been stranded for many years. I have heard of events you could not fathom, and I have experienced love, more than any one of them can say that they have experienced love. Sweet child, your annoyance is one founded in love. Why else would anyone find themselves upset at a kiss? When that manchild came to separate us during our embrace, would you not say that he harbors feelings of love for me?"

    "I would-"

    "Sweet child, why were you so quick to see her guilty? Why would you betray the notion that she was your friend after so little time? What reason could you ever have to-"

    "I didn''t have time!"

    She stopped questioning me for a second, she looked confused.

    "What do you mean by this?"

    I couldn''t speak. I didn''t understand her. Why wouldn''t I question Elle? She tried to hurt me, and then when she came to apologize, she tried to do it again. Why would she not be trying to control me if she pinned me down on my bed?

    "Sweet child, nobody from your home can hurt you here."

    That felt so strange to hear. It was the same way that Elle spoke, but it felt different. Maybe it was because she sounded different than Elle, but she still looked like her. What was she trying to do? What did she want me to say?

    Does she want me to become friends with Elle again? I can''t do that, it''s just wrong. Nothing that she could say would make me think that becoming friends with Elle is right. I couldn''t look at her if she was going to try and make me think that. I looked straight ahead instead.

    I saw her face out of the corner of my eye, it looked like she was sad about something.

    "Before I came down here she did something to me. I don''t know why she did it, I don''t even know what she did."

    She leaned in closer to me, and I could see that she had a different look on her face than before.

    "I was lying in my bed and she knocked on my door. When I let her into my room, she said she had come to apologize. I let her in, and she was wearing this pink gown. I had never seen her wear it, I didn''t even know she had it. After she apologized she just-"

    She put her hand on my shoulder.

    Why was she putting her hand on my shoulder? Why was she touching me? It reminded me of Elle, and it didn''t help that she looked like Elle. What was she doing? What was I saying that made her do that?

    "She took her clothes off, and she jumped on me. She held me down on the bed and talked about how she loved me. I pushed her off and into the wall. When I went to help her, she stood up and said something about how she tried. The next thing I knew I was down here."

    We sat there not talking for a bit. What was she waiting for? Was she going to say how it wasn''t Elle''s fault? Maybe she would say that it wasn''t actually Elle, but that it was some person pretending to be her. What, an adult? An adult fully pretending to be a child? What sort of magic does that?

    As we were sitting there, out of nowhere she starts to get close to me, and then moves from putting her hand on my shoulder to trying to hug me? I didn''t like it. Why did she have to touch me? Why was everyone putting their hands on me lately? I don''t want them to. I don''t want her to hug me!

    I shoved her away, and as I did I was able to shortly look at her face. She looked sad. Not like Elle, Elle would always cry and whine and scream, but I knew she looked sad. She looked like she was about to cry.

    "I''m sorry, I just- why did you try to hug me?"

    She went from sitting up to putting her elbows on her legs and placing her head in her hands. Her fingers went through her hair, and she was looking down now.

    "You do not know why I weep, do you, sweet child?"

    She looked at me again, and I saw tears rolling down her face.

    "They do not care for us anymore. I know not what happened to the observers, the regulators of this world that I came to rely on even in this state. I woke up one day to find that everything I thought to be true of what lies above had changed."

    She sat back up and fixed her hair before speaking again.

    "But if I am to know one thing, sweet child, it is that this world is no longer fair."

    She looked over at the others. The king and the one who looked like Reynold were still arguing with each other. The one who looked like me was sitting off to the side and grinning at them. Everybody else seemed like they were doing their own thing, but none of them were talking to each other.

    She looked back at me. Her face didn''t look like Elle''s anymore. I didn''t know what it looked like exactly, but sort of older. Despite only seeing grey and black, I could see the wrinkles on her face. I could see the tear stains on her cheeks. I could see her eyes. They were blurry, probably covered by tears.

    She tried to speak a few times but her voice was shaking. When she finally spoke,

    "I weep because you serve as the finest example."

 1:5 (5)

    The rest of the time she was sitting near me she was just crying without being able to say anything. I didn''t know what to think, what was I supposed to do? Wasn''t she an adult? I can''t just hug her, that feels weird. I didn''t want to hug someone who looked like Elle anyways.

    That entire conversation confused me, she went from defending Elle to crying about how life was unfair. Was I supposed to forgive Elle because she cried? I don''t know, maybe. When she left to go talk with the others she changed entirely. Only a few moments had passed before she was laughing and joining in on the argument between the king and the one that like like Reynold which was somehow still going on.

    Even I wouldn''t argue with Reynold that much, there''s just not enough to say. Well, if the king came here after he died he''s probably been here longer than I''ve been with Reynold. He seems annoying. Maybe that''s why he looked like Reynold to me.

    I hadn''t thought about why these people looked like Reynold and his friends or the teachers because the king just looked like himself. Did I ever ask for any of their names? I''ve just thought of them based on whoever they look like.

    Well, it doesn''t matter now. The one that looked like Elle said the squiggly line will probably be back soon, so even if I learn their names I don''t think I''m ever going to meet them again.

    Some of the other people came over and talked to me for a bit, but they didn''t say anything that meant a lot to me. The one that looked like Reynold told me to "Ensure that your betrothed does not flee." Other than that he was just complaining about the king and how I shouldn''t think about him in a good way. The king himself came back over to talk about how much he hated the one that looked like Reynold. I told him who that person looked like to me and he broke into laughter, after that he left. He didn''t give me any advice.

    The one that looked like Mister Savard told me to "Ne''er indulge yourself in beverages of an unknown origin." What have these people gone through to give me advice like this? Everyone else either came over just to say hi or didn''t come over at all. I kind of wished that the one who looked like me would talk to me for a bit, maybe I could have figured out why he looked like me.

    I didn''t want to sit alone, so I got up from the cloud and walked over to the rest of them. The argument between the king and the one that looked like Reynold had finally stopped after he punched the king and jumped back while screaming in pain.

    I sat down next to the one that looked like me. This seat wasn''t as soft as the cloud, and I could see it. It looked like a fancy couch. I mean it probably was a fancy couch, but I couldn''t say for sure. All of their voices started to sound similar, maybe it was because they were all talking. I just sat there and listened to them rant about, wait, what were they ranting about?

    "None of your tales compare to mine, methinks."

    "''Methinks''? Are you a court jester on your own time?"

    "Do not be presumptuous, I am sure he is a court jester professionally."

    "Will you let me speak? All of you must be anticipating the opportunity to respond with a tale of your own."

    "If you must ask to be heard, do you truly deserve to be?"

    "I pray you will forgive my courtesy, then, killer of children."

    "When have I become a killer of children?"

    "Well, I suppose a killer of children would despise common courtesy."

    "Only a killer of children himself would know how he truly thinks."

    "I concur."

    "I too concur."

    "I three concur?"

    "I believe "as well" would suffice."

    "I three as well?"

    "I will cast you into the depths."

    "I beg of you to. You are far colder than that place in any event."

    "All of you, we have been led astray by this killer of children who wishes to tell us about when he killed children as a young child. I certainly wish to hear his defense for his actions."

    "I do not care for the defense of a filicidal bastard."

    "Now hold on, even if I were to murder children, which I have not admitted to in any right, when did I specify that they would be my children?"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "I suppose you just seem the type."

    "Only a ki-"

    "No."

    "I expected more of you."

    "That must be a lie."

    "No, it is true. I knew you were undeserving of our respect but I never took you for a plagiarist."

    All of them started laughing loudly. I looked at the king. He didn''t look like he was hurt, he was the only one not laughing but he was grinning from ear to ear.

    "You all have had your fun, now I will speak."

    "Where has your courtesy gone?"

    "Now, when I was a child-"

    "In the sewers."

    The one that looked like Reynold was quickly shushed. He put his open hands up by his head and didn''t say anything else.

    "When I was a child I would always run away from my house. Any time I argued with my father or screamed at my brother I would always dash through the door, and before I would leave I would always take whatever there was of value from the dinner table as a way to provoke their anger. On some occasions, I would lie down in the nearby fields and take a nap, and often I would walk through the town and ponder on what I would do when I returned, however every single time I would misplace whatever item of value I had stolen from my father, and every time I stormed out I would come back in through the door later begging for forgiveness."

    He paused for a second and grinned even more.

    "Now my father was a forgiving man, but every time this occurred I would be burdened with some duty to the house, some chore or other obligation that would usually be finished by my mother. I would always believe I was some charismatic genius, the old man let me off the hook for losing bullion more than he gave mercy to my brother for placing his elbows on the table when we would eat! I had these disputes often. Every time there would be valuables to take with me on the way out, every time I would misplace them, and every time I would get away with house duties after begging for forgiveness, or so I thought."

    He looked around at everyone before continuing again.

    "Now, one day, on the natal day that would mark my transformation into an adult my father brought me into the cellar of our house, and he opened a door that was hard to see in the dimly lit room. Behind this door was a chest, and when he opened the chest it was filled with valuables. Bundles of gold coins and jewelry that appeared untouched, scattered across piles of other bullion. Before I could open my mouth to question my father, he put his hand on my shoulder and I remember the precise words he used, and I likely will until the end of time."

    Everyone was leaning in and staring at the king. Even the one that looked like Reynold wasn''t interrupting or moving around at all while sitting. When the king spoke again he forced his voice to be lower and more raspy.

    "Son, I have tried with most struggle to leave you with lessons during your childhood that will leave you a better man, and this day shall be the day of your most important lesson yet. When we arrived here in this town, I was made aware of a renowned thief who lived with his family in this town. When I introduced myself to him, I presented him with a lucrative offer. I told him that my son was a man impervious to failure and that without reprieve he would leave his home to wander about the town or nearby fields every few dawns with valuables to accompany him. I invited them to steal from you, and I told them that if you were to ever leave the house without an item of value, or if you were to cease your pattern of leaving the house, they would not only be able to keep all of the valuables they had stolen up to that point but that I would give them my entire fortune, but if you were to persist with this tradition until the day of your adulthood that I would be promised merely twice the amount that had been stolen from you. I had a signed agreement with these terms there ready for him, and of course, he accepted this wager. When you returned two dawns ago, with your head down and your confidence amiss, I told you that you would not receive any reprimand, as I had to leave the house for my own purposes. You likely thought yourself unfathomably lucky, but I thought myself a genius beyond compare, and this notion was confirmed when I received the items that you view now in this very chest before you. This is the lesson I leave you with, son. You are a fool."

    Everyone immediately started laughing. It was so loud that I had to cover my ears with my hands. The king was now grinning from ear to ear. I didn''t get what was so funny, but I didn''t really understand what he was saying.

    The laughter didn''t last too long though-

    I heard another explosion, but instead of last time, I wasn''t hurting all over. I had closed my eyes and ducked with my arms over my head, and when I opened my eyes again I looked around and saw that everyone was frozen. I looked at where the sound had come from and I saw-

    The statue of Phrosus? It looked like the statue but I mean it obviously wasn''t, he was moving.

    "Well, I''m sure she would love to be here right now. It''s a shame that nobody knows her anymore."

    "Phrosus?"

    "I see it was the right choice to send me down here. When Judge Judy told me you were from Articulago I assumed you''d be a follower of mine."

    "Judge Judy?"

    The king wasn''t moving, but he was able to speak.

    "Phrosus. Has the information I sent served you well?"

    "Yes, Venio. You don''t need to worry, your time here will not expire just because the most powerful of us is not there to personally watch over you. Most of us can handle him anyway."

    "Very well. I merely wished to provide a show of good faith, I wished to remind you all that your goodwill has not been forgotten."

    "Yeah, we get it. Stay silent for a bit, I need to take this kid back up."

    "What are you guys talking about?"

    "Don''t worry about it. Anyway, I''m here to take you home."

    "Home? Where is the squiggly line guy? He said he''d come back and take me up."

    "Squiggly-? Oh. Yeah, we worked it out. He''ll be a bit late but that doesn''t matter since I''m down here now. Come on now."

    He reached out his hand, he clearly wanted me to take it.

    "You really want to stay down here? I mean I can make that happen but it''s pretty bad."

    "No, I- I want to go. Are they going to be okay?"

    "Hm? Them? Yeah, they''ll be fine. They''d be worse right now if I didn''t take some measures before coming down here. Now, let''s get going."

    I stood up and walked towards him. Just as I grabbed his hand, I felt like I was thrown up into the air really fast. The wind was blowing in my face, my head was spinning and-

    I woke up on my bed that was now in between piles of rubble.

 Omen, So?

    I quickly got off my bed. What had happened? I looked around and saw every single building had been destroyed. How was my bed still fine? It didn''t even have a scratch on it.

    I walked around the rubble, I had to get on all fours just to move at all without tripping over the large rocks and broken things that surrounded me. When I finally got out of the rubble that was the orphanage, I was able to view the rest of the town.

    All of it was gone. Well, not gone, there were rocks and logs and broken things just lying around, but it was all destroyed. All of it. Every single thing.

    How long was I gone? Where was I?

    I still didn''t know what actually happened down there, I couldn''t remember most of it. I sank into the floor and then I came out to this. Was it a dream?

    I woke up in my bed, but why would I not get woken up by the entire town getting destroyed? Was I even asleep?

    I didn''t get it. I didn''t get anything. The entire time that I''ve been here, nothing has happened. My entire life has just been me going from town to town, new school, new arguments, and the same ending. Town to town, and it was all the same.

    What was it about this week? This one week.

    I hadn''t ever truly prayed to Phrosus, was he punishing me? I think I saw him, he didn''t seem mad. Maybe he knew that this would happen, this probably is a punishment.

    He sent me down there to wait while everything up here was destroyed, and then I get to come back to see it all gone. Did he do something before that?

    Was Elle dying in front of me actually a dream? Was I in a dream just now before I came back here?

    It felt too real. All of it felt too real. Before this, my dreams were just eating dinner with my Mom, or running around the continent as fast as I possibly could.

    What changed? What could have changed? Something did, something-

    I turned back around and looked closer at the large pile of rubble where the door to the orphanage would be. I could just barely see it, but I knew what I was looking at.

    I dashed toward the pile and threw rocks off one by one, and I pulled the body out from underneath all of the rubble as hard as I could. As I finally got it free, I fell backward straight onto my head.

    I couldn''t sit up, I was way too dizzy. My head was pounding.

    I saw it. Her body. It was Elle.

    She was lying there, her arms and legs bruised and scraped. There was blood all over her. I rushed over to her, and laid her on her back. I saw her chest move. She was still breathing- she...

    She was still breathing.

    "C-Celio?"

    She was still breathing.

    Well her chest was moving, but I couldn''t hear her breathe. I could only hear myself.

    I held my breath for as long as I possibly could, I nearly fainted.

    She did too.

    Before I could choke her, she disappeared from in front of me. I could hear the whispering again. As it got louder, I could feel my head move forward. Just a little more, just a little, one more-

    I fell forward, but I immediately turned around while lying on the ground to look back up at it. A shadow. Well, it wasn''t a shadow, it was just someone that was made entirely of black. I stared at it, and when it opened its eyes again it smiled at me.

    It changed into a woman. The straight black figure transformed into someone you''d see walking around late at night in Arten looking for cash.

    "You''re quite smart, aren''t you?"

    She knelt down and laid on me. I felt every part of her body touching me, keeping me on the ground. She placed her hands on my ears again.

    "Why don''t you sleep? Smart kids like you, they need a lot of rest. You''ve done a lot, you know. Why don''t you just fall asleep, and I''ll wake you up when it''s time? You deserve rest."

    I resisted the magic it was trying to use on me. I couldn''t go back.

    Memories were rushing through my head.

    Venio-

    I walked into that structure, I didn''t know what it was. I was just dropped off right outside it, and I walked in.

    "Who are you?"

    It was her. The one I thought looked like Elle. They really did look similar.

    The same whispering came through my ears, but it wasn''t coming from the shadow, it was coming from Venio. I was picked up and brought over to him, they forced me to kneel.

    I blinked and suddenly I was being held down by all of them.

    "I want to leave, Venio! I do not wish to serve you any longer!"

    "Is that so? I wonder what your beloved has to say about my rule."

    He snapped his fingers. Two of them went over to hold him. He was skinny, just like Reynold, he probably deserved this anyway.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The one that looked like Elle walked over to Venio. She didn''t kiss him, no, he pulled her close to him and forced his lips onto hers. The one that looked like Reynold was screaming and crying, but he couldn''t move at all.

    I blinked again. The one that looked like Reynold had bruises all over his face, his knees and elbows were covered in dark red.

    Venio whispered again before speaking.

    "How about you all listen to a tale of mine?"

    Everyone except for the one that looked like Reynold immediately turned their heads toward Venio. Some of them even twisted their heads all the way around. Their eyes, they didn''t have any color. They were black. Purely black.

    He screamed again, but I couldn''t hear him because everyone was shushing him. They were really loud too, and they didn''t stop.

    They picked him up and threw him onto the floor. They started beating the life out of him, but his screams weren''t heard at all. Their shushing was only getting louder, and they still hadn''t even stopped to take a breath.

    His bruises had turned black. His limbs were twisted in weird ways, and he wasn''t even trying to scream anymore. They finally stopped shushing him as they picked him up and threw him off the side. His screams finally picked up again as he fell all the way down. I didn''t hear them stop, they just got quieter and quieter. I didn''t hear his body hit the ground either.

    Everyone walked back over to the large stones they were sitting on, and Venio started to speak again.

    "So once upon a time, I was courting a very famous lady. I was naught but a poor lad, someone who had gotten quite lucky to be invited to the royal ball of Penilago. The queen of the country was there, and her husband had not yet arrived at the main ballroom. When I offered her my hand to dance, she slapped it away, and told me I was a fool."

    He paused and grinned wider than his entire face would let him. His smile stretched past his ears, it was horrible to look at. He had this horrible sound that came out of his mouth, like a forced laugh.

    "So I forced her to bear my child right there in the room!"

    They were all laughing, all of them. As if they had just heard the funniest joke. They couldn''t stop. Blood came out of their eyes, and some of them started coughing out blood as well. Their skin cracked. They couldn''t stop.

    She walked into the room and looked at Venio.

    "I see you are still enjoying your stay."

    "Very much so! I can not thank you enough for this opportunity."

    "You''ve been saying that for centuries. I think we feel properly thanked. How is the kid?"

    "Him? He is not swayed by my words. Would you like me to send him further to sleep?"

    "That would be great."

    He snapped his fingers, and all of the now disgusting people in front of me rushed at me. They pinned my head down on the large stone I was just sitting on.

    I need to go back further.

    That''s right. I was sitting there with rubble surrounding me, looking at the blood stains she left.

    Why did he do it? Why did he slap her?

    I''ve been made fun of before, I told him that. I''ve been made fun of everywhere I go. I''ve been beaten up, I''ve been knocked out. What she was doing meant nothing to me. Why did he stand up and slap her across the face when she threw her water on me?

    "You little rat!"

    They dragged us both out near where the garden was. Mister Savard pulled me by my neck. The other students were cheering them on, and the teachers were just standing there watching this happen.

    When we got to the garden, Mister Savard forced my face into the dirt. I heard him screaming at them to let me go, and all of them were laughing.

    "What are you going to do now, Reynold? What will you do with your beloved about to be maimed in front of the entire school?"

    "Stop it! Let him go!"

    I couldn''t see him, but I knew that he was being held back.

    "Mister Savard, do it."

    I was picked back up off the ground by my hair, and he whispered something in my ear.

    "Penilagian scum."

    I heard a loud noise, like someone had stepped in a muddy swamp. They let Reynold go, and he fell face-first into the dirt. He looked at me and I could see his entire face was covered in dirt that was being washed away by his tears.

    I looked back down and I saw an arm drenched in blood that was sticking through my stomach. Mister Savard pulled his hand back out and I fell to the floor. I heard him crying and screaming at the same time while I laid there about to die.

    I couldn''t feel anything, I just started to lose the ability to move. I could barely breathe. I just managed to lift my head up so I could look at him.

    They were taking turns hitting him, and with every punch I could see more blood coming out of his nose and his mouth.

    She pulled out a knife, and just as he was pushed towards her-

    She stabbed him in the throat. I tried to scream. I tried to say anything. I couldn''t move. They were all laughing. All of them. The little children who were still learning to say a single word. The teachers who looked old and grey. They were all laughing at us.

    I can''t take this. I can''t stay here. I''m not going to die. I''m not going to die!

    Every part of my body was filled with anger. Anger at them. Anger at the world. I forced myself to stand up. My legs felt like twigs, my body wanted to slump over and bleed out. I wouldn''t let it. I just needed to kill her. That was all. That was it.

    I ran towards her faster than I ever had, and I grabbed her by the neck. As soon as I got her throat in my hands I ran around the entire town. I forced her into houses, I dragged her on the ground. Everything was exploding around me.

    I heard the shadow''s voice again.

    "This revenge is a necessity. You must right this wrong, but she is not the only one that has ruined you. Why not go for the entire town?"

    Her body had gone limp, but that didn''t matter. I placed her body on the one wall that was left of the school, and I ran all the way over to the next town.

    "Why not cast this entire nation away? Surely they are at fault."

    I had gotten there in an instant, and I left just as quickly. When my fist hit her, her entire body exploded. I didn''t see any bones, I didn''t see any skin, it was just a large cloud of blood. I looked around and I saw that same area of rubble. I looked down at the ground and saw the stains that she left.

    The shadow wasn''t on top of me anymore, it was behind me again with its hands on my head.

    "Anyone would understand you. If every person in this country had to go through what you did, they would do the same. In fact, they would applaud you. They would praise your actions. All you need to do is listen to my words, and want for more."

    This world is unfair. My Mom tried to kill me, and when I knocked the knife out of her hands she just picked it back up and cut her own throat wide open.

    This world has always been unfair. Every orphanage has the meanest people, the ones that hate every child who they have to take care of. The type that punishes children for speaking out of turn even if it''s only one time.

    This world will continue to be unfair. People were always angry at me, and I didn''t know why. I would give them a piece of my food and they would steal all of it. I would ask for their help and they''d threaten me with a knife or sword. The guards would scream at me whenever I walked near them.

    "Yes, of course. This entire world must be burned for you to truly be free. Just take my hand, child. I will help you."

    I was back where I was before. She was still on top of me, but when she looked at my face again, she immediately disappeared. The shadow came back, and it was no longer smiling at me.

    "But you are a part of that world, aren''t you?"

    The shadow didn''t speak at all, and we just sat there staring at each other for a while. When it did speak again, I heard a male voice.

    "When she told me that she found a child who entertained her, I thought it would be easy to find one of my own. It''s a shame that you''re a bore."

    I blinked again, and I immediately sat up. My stomach hurt like I had eaten nothing but horse shit for a month. When one of the people there saw me, they screamed and ran away.

    "He''s awake! The boy is awake!"

    I looked at my lap, there was a tiny piece of parchment that was all folded up. I opened up the paper to find a note from someone who I didn''t know.

    Only an interesting person survives with a hole in their stomach.

    Welcome to the academy.

 An Authors View | A Forty-Four Chapter Milestone

    So I have a particular like for Omniscient Reader''s Viewpoint.

    Just thought I''d throw that out there.

    But there''s gotta be more than that, right? I mean what, reading a web novel that is now vastly popular has what to do with my choices exactly?

    I don''t think anyone would think of writing more than eighty chapters for a prologue, turning what could''ve been a brief overview into a standalone novel.

    Well, actually, I''m sure someone else will do it eventually. Maybe there''s a 200-chapter prologue out there that I''m missing because it got buried after people asked "Why the hell did they write 200 chapters for a prologue?"

    Are you confused?

    Do you not understand any of the events of the past forty chapters?

    Well that''s not the best, I mean I did put some work in to add some air of mystery but I''m not trying to give you an aneurysm with a single chapter.

    There was a time when I thought that misleading the everloving hell out of the reader would make them even more interested in what I was writing. I remember days when I would consider writing chapters in custom-made code, but if it was so tiring that I couldn''t even make a draft then I''m sure nobody with things to do other than read would bother looking.

    I want people to understand what I''m writing, because all of this is very important, but at the same time it feels kind of odd to just put everything out there.

    A lot of things are straightforward, and that''s good. It''s nice to just know what something is saying without having to bust out a dictionary or ask ChatGPT to tl;dr it. But I think that novels ought to be different. I mean I could just skip to the end and tell you that this is all about how God is fake but I''m pretty sure there was some crazily creative gambling addict who did it about a thousand pages before me.

    You need to be original, you need to give something new, and so I think confusing the reader is relatively new. It could honestly be a mistake. Maybe when I wonder about why my extensive optimism hasn''t been proven right I''m just straying away from the real reason, which is that nobody picks up a book and expects it to be a jigsaw puzzle.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    It seems a bit too easy to blame the reader, it''s also a bit mean. I can write a novel for myself but why would I share it if I didn''t want people to read and enjoy it? Even if I am wrong, I have to hope that people do enjoy being presented with some challenge of truly understanding what they''re reading.

    Even just saying it aloud makes me lose confidence.

    But, forty-four chapters in is way too far to act on this realization, and so I''ll be stuck here for a thousand chapters or so doing what I can.

    Maybe I''ll hit it big, and everything I do will become some sort of sensation.

    "Did you see that new chapter, only a single word!"

    "I know, it''s genius!"

    "I heard the next one won''t have words."

    "I heard the one after that won''t have a title."

    "Brilliant!"

    Then everyone will start making their chapters zero words with no titles and the world of literature will come to a halt. Finally, I will have won.

    It''s kind of hard to be anywhere that you are forced to compare your results to others. The most famous authors are all being compared with one another constantly, each fighting for a spot as the universally recognized "greatest."

    If they can''t even be left alone with a reputation of being phenomenal, what am I supposed to do?

    You know I really love those open-ended questions that are usually used as interaction bait, some sort of conversation starter among people who all like/do a certain thing. I don''t think that they''re exceptional questions, thought-provoking in any way but I find it funny how we would all care to an unreasonable degree for the answer of someone who was famous, someone who was respected.

    With that being said I think I''ll take the bear-

    If there was ever any doubt about what I would say to someone who wanted to know why they should pick up my novel, it would definitely be:

    "There''s more choices that are made with good reason than you would expect."

    And then I wouldn''t say anything important about the actual novel.

    I''m honestly not that much of a marketer. I think if someone asked me to name one positive trait about myself I''d say "I''m cool."

    I mean I probably have a bunch of ironic responses I''d wheel out before that, but the unironic response may just be "I''m cool." It truly is awkward to speak positively of yourself in front of people.

    Do you ever find yourself fully prepared to say something and then you realize halfway through that it''s absolutely horrible? I''m sure people do it often, but I speak as I think. I can delete words on a computer, but if I could erase people''s memories I''d go for every single piece of literature in their head so mine would be the first they''d read. Either I''d find a way to get the most honest review of my novel ever, or I''d find a way to get easy support.

    To my readers, however many of you there are, I truly do appreciate you. If I had zero readers I would probably not be here. I''m not keen on giving up but that''s a pretty undeniable sign. I do hope that you are enjoying my passion piece, and if you''re not I can only hope that at the least you understand it.

    If there were one reader, even if it was only one, I''d continue.

    Mostly because I could call it an ORV reference.

    But I truly do hope you enjoy this.

 One Less Voice

    "This doesn''t feel like something we should be doing."

    "You always say that, how am I supposed to take you seriously?"

    "I always stand by it whenever I say that, you just go and do these things and I''m left trying to figure out why."

    "You don''t have any reason to care about why I do what I do."

    "I just think-"

    "Yes, I know. You think that one mistake is all it''ll take for them to finally kill us all in a single sweep. You''ve been saying the same thing for three millennia when am I supposed to finally die?"

    "It doesn''t hurt to be cautious."

    "You''ve been spending too much time around them. Decisions are things that they have to care about, if you want to stress over every horrible thing that could happen in the future I''m fine banishing you to go live down there."

    "I already told you that we only help them do things that help us. When has it ever turned out poorly? We''re all still here and they all still erect statues and burn food that they think comes to us through the fumes."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    "Well, it does smell pretty good."

    "Don''t you have somewhere to be?"

    "Yeah."

    "So... go."

    "So mean."

    "You''re annoying me can you please leave?"

    "Alright, alright, I''m going. Such a child."

    "Still older than you."

    "Yeah by like a day or two."

    "Leave."

    "I just don''t think that they''re really helping us."

    "When have they ever known something that we don''t? When have-"

    They see me.

    "Hold on a second."

    She turned toward me and I knew she was going to kill me the moment we locked eyes.

    Now hold on a second, I need him.

    "Then why''d you send him here?"

    ...

    "I will turn him into quarks right here."

    What are these threats supposed to do? You didn''t even let me say anything. What do you think is going to happen here, I''ll just let you kill him because I didn''t respond?

    "Why are you doing this? What are you getting out of sending them here?"

    I don''t think you''d get it even if I explained it for what''s now the thousandth time. You''ll just have to live with me doing as I please and you understanding that there''s nothing you can do about that. Hey, that line sounds familiar, I could''ve sworn you said it that one time.

    "You never actually explain anything, you just say that it helps us, and then nothing important happens."

    Well you''re not dead. I hope you sing my praises soon.

    As for you, watcher, isn''t there some tale you have to tell about what you''ve seen? What was the word you used for it?

    Revelation.

    I jolted up and ran into the town.

    "I''ve received a revelation! A sign from he who stands above us all!"

 Response

    I dashed straight forward, I couldn''t let him fight so passively. Every single time he''d just wait for me to attack.

    I needed to get to him before he could think of a million different ways to humiliate me in front of our teacher.

    I jabbed straight at his chest, even if he tried to redirect my sword I''d be close enough to catch his kick.

    He forced my sword to his left, and I saw his left leg tense up, he was going to extend his leg toward me instead of around to hit me on the side.

    His leg extended, and I got my blade out from under his. I brought the pommel all the way over to where his leg was before I ran straight into it.

    Before I could swing right into his stomach, his blade somehow made it back in front of mine, and the full force of my hit was stopped. He flew across the faux arena but landed perfectly fine on his feet.

    He always loved to gloat about how I could never beat him. Even if he didn''t say a word I could tell that he looked at me like I was an ant. That damn smile every time I would almost get him only to barely fail.

    He was looking down on me. He loved to act like he was the teacher, and meanwhile, he was sucking up to the real one every single chance he got. "Where are you going? When will you come back? I wanted to ask you about-" I want to hit him in the jaw so hard he bites his own tongue off. His voice was so annoying to hear too, it was like all the horrible things came together in the world just to make him, and of course, they put him in the same house I had to stay in.

    "Are you gonna keep standing there?"

    He pointed his sword at me, he wasn''t smiling anymore but I could tell he was about to make fun of me in some other way.

    "I''m going to rip you apart."

    "I don''t know why you get so angry over these matches, he said that if you wanted to get better you needed to actually practice fighting."

    "I don''t need to practice with you, you''re just a coward who can''t attack so you lie back and wait for something to happen. That''s not fighting, you''re basically running away."

    "Well, you keep losing. If you ever did fight someone outside of practice I think you would lose."

    "What do you know?"

    "I know that you think there are rules for how a fight should go, and those rules always support your way of fighting."

    "Yeah, so I''m fighting the correct way and everyone else isn''t."

    "Complaining isn''t going to do anything when you get stabbed by surprise."

    Even his name was horrible. "Koyo." I felt like a snob just thinking about it. I don''t know how he got here, maybe he ran away from his noble family because they didn''t feed him enough grapes.

    I can already imagine how they sound talking to him. "Oh, Koyo, you are most wonderful with the sword! Truly a prodigy!" Every single thing about him was noble. The way he moved his sword. I heard the teacher talk about how he came from Elknid, but I know that only the royals get specific katanas.

    Maybe he just used them so he could get that special little sword. Now he just walks around knowing that he''s better than everyone because he abandoned his royal family.

    They always like to dress up like us, those nobles. They want to pretend that they''re strong and can take on whatever comes, and of course, they copy us to make people believe them. Our speech, our clothes, some of them even took sword styles and completely copied them, then renamed them and acted like they created the sword style.

    I''m still standing here glaring at him and he obviously has to speak again. I''m sure he loves to hear his own voice.

    "Listen, we can stop if you''re just not going to do anything."

    "Really? I didn''t know I could call quits when you just sit there like a cripple."

    "You really want me to attack you? Don''t you remember what happened the first time I did that?"Stolen novel; please report.

    "That was almost two years ago, and you caught me by surprise."

    "You don''t think I''m going to do the same thing?"

    "You can''t catch me by surprise."

    He dashed right at me, I knew he would. He needed to prove that he was better than me in every way.

    He prepared his sword to hit me from the left, which meant that he was feinting there and was actually going to hit me from the right. He got closer, and closer, time was slowing down for me as he was just about to hit me. When was he going to bring his blade around to the other side?

    Closer. His sword was right next to mine. I was still holding it in the middle ready to quickly parry his blow, he still hadn''t brought the sword around.

    Closer. The tip of his blade was at my elbows. Was he aiming for my arms? No, his sword was still aimed at my left. He was waiting too long. Was this a trick?

    Closer. He still didn''t change, the tip of his blade was just about to touch me but it was too late for him to change. I brought my sword over to the left to knock his away from me and counter quicker than he could respond.

    I knocked the sword out of his hands, but it was too easy. It was like he let go of it. I looked back at him and his head was at the same level as my stomach, I saw what he was actually aiming for too late.

    His fist went straight into my stomach and I was knocked back straight into the piles of stones that outlined the faux arena.

    I must have been knocked unconscious, when I woke up I was on one of the couches in the main room of the cottage.

    How did he sneak up on me like that? Why would he just throw away his sword? If it wasn''t me, the hit would''ve done nothing, and he would''ve been killed straight after.

    "Well, he told me that he hit you hard but I didn''t think most of your stomach would turn purple."

    It was the teacher. He was smiling at me, as he always did whenever I lost.

    "Why are you smiling? Shouldn''t you be angry at me for losing again?

    "You always ask questions like that. Do you want me to be a bad person or something? Are you hoping that I smack you so you can say you survived this period of your life?"

    He was speaking way too quickly.

    "Huh?"

    "Nevermind. Walk with me."

    "I can''t move, your star student slammed me into a pile of rocks."

    He stared with a blank face at me for a few seconds.

    "Right, uhhhh, I guess I''ll sit down."

    He pulled up a chair in front of where my head was facing so I could see him. He always tried to comfort me after I lost like I was some wounded puppy.

    It was weird. It didn''t feel like he was talking down to me, and I didn''t hate him for it, but I never got it. I never understood what he thought would happen. Was I supposed to break down and cry so he could hug me?

    I don''t know. I don''t know why I didn''t hate him, it just didn''t feel the same as that noble bastard. I clenched my stomach when I spoke, it felt like I was being crushed by an entire mountain.

    "Well, what do you want to talk about this time?"

    "I don''t know. It''ll come to me eventually."

    "What?"

    "Well, I can''t be expected to know everything. Other than "I hope you get better!" there isn''t much to say to a student who has an extremely large bruise in the middle of his stomach."

    "Fine then, let''s talk about how that bruise got there."

    "Are you going to complain about Koyo again?"

    "Yeah, why wouldn''t I?"

    "Then you know what I''m going to say."

    "Why do you talk like this anyway? Shouldn''t you be some sort of teacher? Why don''t you act like it?"

    "What do you mean by "act like a teacher"? I teach you things don''t I?"

    "You talk like me."

    "Well, I think that makes me a good teacher. Do you want me to talk like I''m some pretentious professor who thinks you''re not worth his time?"

    "No, but-"

    "I do inquire, young lad, what could ever inspire you to chase such a foolish path as to challenge a pupil you have suffered defeat at the hands of time and time-"

    "Alright, I get it."

    "Well then, what do you want to talk about that isn''t complaining about Koyo."

    "Nothing."

    "Erik, you''re not going to get anything out of me. Do you want me to agree with you? Do you think I''m going to talk poorly about him?"

    "A good teacher sees the faults in his students."

    "A good teacher doesn''t talk to students about other students. Also what''s with that-"

    "So you just want me to talk about myself."

    "Yes."

    "Well, I don''t want to do that."

    He stood up and waved his arms around.

    "Why not? Every time you get beaten by him you''re not willing to do what it takes to improve."

    "How is talking about myself going to make me better with my sword?"

    "I told you that on the first day."

    "No, on the first day, you told me that I would never be able to beat him."

    "That''s right I did say that. But on the second day-"

    "You said I should give up hope with the sword."

    "Alright listen you were a pretty rough kid, and I was trying to see what sort of method would get you to change. I know now that you''re too stubborn to believe anyone when they tell you what you''re doing is wrong."

    "So what was this thing that you said to me explaining why I should talk about myself?"

    "I thought I told you that talking about yourself is the first step of actually improving."

    "I don''t remember that."

    "Well, I said it. Listen, every expert swordsman would kill to know exactly what they are doing wrong, but the problem is there are very few people who can actually tell. Even if they were told what their mistakes were, their egos would prevent them from actually listening."

    He sat back down in the chair.

    "If you find that answer yourself, even if it''s by, I don''t know, talking about how the food you had for breakfast was bad, it''s more likely that you''re actually going to learn. You clearly don''t want to listen to me, so take a guess at why I want you to talk about yourself."

    I didn''t talk at all, I just sat there and stared at him.

    "I''m going to go out to where he set up the dummy and see what he''s doing. I''ll be waiting for you when you''re ready to actually talk."

    He opened the door to the yard and walked out without saying another word.

 Response (2)

    I laid down on the couch for a while, and my stomach stopped hurting, but I didn''t get up to go meet him outside.

    I didn''t move at all. I want him to come back in here and apologize, I wanted him to stop bothering me.

    I could see it, he''d come and ask me why I hadn''t moved at all, and I just wouldn''t say a thing. He probably wouldn''t wait a while either, he must be expecting me to come out there by this point. He''ll come back in and realize just how wrong he is, and then maybe he''ll finally get Koyo to stop acting like the prince he clearly wants to be.

    I waited, and I waited. I thought about what I''d say to him when he came back. Would I pretend to forgive him? Would I say that he hurt me? Maybe I''d shed some tears.

    No, that''s a bit too far. Whatever I do after he comes in begging for me to talk to him again doesn''t matter, I would already have what I wanted. I didn''t want to be cruel, anyway, it''s not like he was the problem here, he just couldn''t see things from my point of view.

    Nobody can, but that doesn''t mean I shouldn''t show them that they''re being lied to.

    I waited even more. The sun was turning yellow which meant that it''d be night soon, the door hadn''t even opened. Why didn''t he come to check on me? Every part of me was sore and my legs had fallen asleep a while ago.

    Why didn''t he come back? Did he not care? I knew that he probably liked Koyo more than me but I didn''t think that he would just completely abandon me. He loved to talk about how he was a good teacher, what kind of teacher leaves one student behind while focusing on the other? That''s not fair.

    I can''t just wait here, he''s probably teaching Koyo something that he''ll never talk to me about just to spite me. He''ll talk about how I could''ve gotten better if I just listened to him, and not take any responsibility for never listening to me. He''s always like this.

    I don''t know why I''m not mad at him. Maybe it''s because Koyo is so obnoxious that whatever he does seems like nothing. I''m sure nobody can compare to how annoying that wannabe noble bastard is.

    I got up from the couch, my legs immediately jolted awake, and I was dizzy. I stumbled through the room and opened the door, by the time I was walking into the yard I wasn''t hurting anywhere. I saw the teacher and Koyo, he was hitting the dummy still while the teacher was just sitting there watching him.

    I got over there quickly, and when I got up on his left he spoke before I had the chance to.

    "You decided to relent."

    "Why didn''t you ever come back to check on me?"

    "You said you wanted to complain about Koyo, right?"

    "What? Yeah, I did- why?"

    "Look at how he''s attacking the dummy and complain about him."

    "You want me to-"

    "Yes, I want you to tell me what you don''t like about his swordsmanship."

    Maybe staying on the couch for a while was the right choice.

    I watched Koyo hit the dummy for a bit. He had the same five strikes that he would deliver, sometimes making use of a feint or a stronger strike randomly. Straight cut down, cut to the left, diagonal downward from right to left, diagonal upward from right to left, and a jab.

    He loved to change between using two hands and one hand even though the blade was clearly designed for a two-handed grip. Those two would be the first things I could talk about.

    "He only has five cuts."

    "Really? Name them."

    "A vertical cut to the head, a cut to the right torso, a diagonal cut from the left shoulder to the right waist, a diagonal cut from the left waist to the right shoulder, and a jab aimed wherever."

    "Well, you''re right about that. Now tell me, why is that bad?"

    "Well, he only has five cuts."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "And?"

    "What do you mean "and"? He should have more than five cuts."

    "Why?"

    "Because he should have a lot of different cuts to use."

    "And why is that?"

    "Because otherwise, his opponent will read his attacks!"

    I started to raise my voice. Why was he questioning something that''s obvious?

    "Can you read his attacks?"

    "Well no, but-"

    "Then why does he need to change what he''s doing?"

    "Other opponents might be able to!"

    "Erik, what''s the most important hit in a sword fight."

    "The first-"

    "Right, so if the first hit is the most important, why does he need to have a lot of different hits to use?"

    "What- he-"

    "Let''s try something else. What else is bad about his swordsmanship?"

    "He sometimes uses one hand!"

    "That''s also true. What''s bad about that?"

    "Why are you asking what''s bad about it, isn''t it obvious?"

    "Well I''m asking you, so it isn''t obvious to me. Explain it to me like I''m an idiot."

    "He''s using one hand! For a two-handed sword!"

    "Alright, stop for a second, and let''s just watch him. Watch what he does."

    We both turned to look at Koyo. He started with his downward diagonal strike and then brought it back and used a jab straight to the middle of the torso.

    "There! He used one hand for that jab!"

    "You''re right, but let''s just watch for a few more seconds."

    He used those same five hits again, but he used one hand for every single hit. We were only watching for another bit when he delivered a jab that broke the dummy into pieces. He just sat there breathing heavily and waited. Eventually, the teacher spoke again.

    "You can go inside, Koyo. I need to speak with Erik."

    He went back into the house and I stared at him when he walked right by us. He wasn''t looking back at me, but I knew if the teacher wasn''t here he''d be grinning at me like he''d just gotten some royal award.

    When he closed the door I looked back to the teacher and found that he was staring right back at me. How long had he been looking at me? He spoke before I had the chance to again.

    "Well? Do you see?"

    "See what?"

    "You said that using one hand for a two-handed sword was a problem, but for every one of those strikes he used one hand, and he broke the dummy with a wooden replica of his sword."

    "He''s been whacking at that thing since the middle of the day, of course, it would break sometime."

    "That''d only be true if he was using his actual sword. He doesn''t have an affinity like you. There wasn''t any power he was using to help him hit the dummy. So if there wasn''t any power, he''d have to hit the dummy effectively every time since the middle of the day to just knock it down."

    "So?"

    "''So''? He broke the dummy apart, Erik. Are you really going to feign ignorance?"

    "It''s a wooden dummy, I could probably do that."

    "No, you couldn''t. You''re not listening to me."

    I felt my nails digging into my palms, I was starting to raise my voice at him again. I should have known he was going to play favorites.

    "I am listening to you, you''re not making sense!"

    "Why are you mad at him?"

    "Because his swordsmanship sucks!"

    "You lost to his swordsmanship, does that mean you suck?"

    He got up from where he was sitting on one part of the pile of stones around the fake arena. He started walking into the middle of the arena, and I raised my voice even more.

    "No, he just uses tricks and acts like a coward!"

    "So you keep on losing to a coward?"

    "As soon as I figure out how to beat him I''ll never lose again. If only he''d change that stupid style of his to something that actually makes sense maybe I wouldn''t hate him and hate fighting him!"

    "So he should change his swordsmanship?"

    He had changed his tone of voice, it sounded like he was talking down to me now, and it made me think of Koyo. This is exactly something that Koyo would say, always making excuses without ever changing anything about himself.

    "Yes!"

    "Why?"

    "Because it''s bad!"

    "You lost to that swordsmanship."

    "So?"

    "If you beat me with your swordsmanship, and I challenged you again, would you change your swordsmanship?"

    "No!"

    "Would you think of any reason to change your swordsmanship?"

    "No!"

    "So if I complained about your swordsmanship, you wouldn''t change a thing?"

    "But-"

    "That''s different, right? Your swordsmanship is perfect, better than his at least."

    I couldn''t speak. I didn''t know what to say. He was just standing there looking at me, he wanted me to say something. He probably wanted me to apologize and admit that he was right, but I couldn''t. He couldn''t be right. His voice changed back, he didn''t sound like he was trying to show me how much worse I am than him.

    "You are suffering from a lie that you keep telling yourself, that lie is that sword fights have to abide by your rules. In fact, forget your rules, the lie is that they have to abide by any rules at all."

    I still couldn''t say anything, he walked back over to me from the middle of the fake arena and sat back down on the same part of the pile of rocks.

    "The truth is that the only thing that matters in sword fights is that you win. This would seem obvious, but some grand falsifier came around a millennium back and convinced everyone that there were rules to killing people with a blade."

    "But sword styles are meant to help people, they''re supposed to be better than just swinging a sword blindly."

    "They are better than swinging a sword blindly, but they ultimately limit what you are able to do as a swordsman."

    I was no longer clenching my fists, and my voice wasn''t raised.

    "So what do I do then?"

    He got up from his seat again and walked over to me. He paused right before it seemed like he was about to speak.

    "I just realized that you''re not short enough for me to get on one knee."

    We both laughed over that for a few seconds, but when we stopped he put his hands on my shoulders and we stared at each other before we spoke again.

    "My advice is that you find your own swordsmanship. Don''t swing your sword based on some rules that you heard, swing it because the way that you''re swinging it works. Swing it because it''s what you know how to do best."

    He took his hands off my shoulders and started to walk away.

    That made no sense.

 Response (3)

    He continued to walk away from me even when I ran up to him so I could ask him more questions. His voice had changed back once more to the usual one he used.

    "When I give you a quote like that you''re not supposed to ask any more questions. You should have just walked away, maybe put it in a book somewhere."

    "A quote? What are you talking about? I understood you up until you basically told me to do whatever I want."

    "Well, you seem to understand what I was telling you to do."

    "Alright, fine, I do understand what you were telling me to do, I don''t understand why."

    He opened the door and walked inside without answering my question. I paused for a moment but then quickly ran after him.

    "Hey!"

    He turned around and I saw that he was grinning at me. Great, what did I do now?

    "What happened to the kid that was refusing to get off the couch?"

    "Are you really bragging?"

    "No, I''m just, thinking... about how great of a teacher I am."

    "Fine, I''ll go back up to my room and not talk for the next month. In fact, I''ll leave toda-"

    "You''ve made your point. Sit down, I''ll make us something to eat."

    I found a comfortable position for myself on the couch.

    "What about Koyo? Where is he?"

    He was walking into the other room to make food, but just as I realized what I had said he was already peeking his head through the doorway to grin at me even more.

    I couldn''t even grasp why I said that, I probably just did it instinctually. Y''know, someone else is living with you, you want to know where they are, make sure they didn''t get themselves lost. I stuttered out some explanation to him.

    "Well, he can''t fight me if he hasn''t eaten. Plus, if he got lost you''d blame me."

    He popped his head back into the other room but I knew he was probably laughing to himself about my mistake. I was waiting on the couch with my face burning up, if he tells Koyo about this I''ll never wake up without him shoving it in my face. I heard him scream from the other room after just sitting there for a bit.

    "Does boiled binsiel sound good?"

    "Food is food."

    "The last time you said that I watched you toss the entire plate of food straight out of the window."

    "Fine, yes, it sounds good."

    I didn''t think that he would ever cook any of the spoils of his last hunting trip. He said he was saving them for a special guest, maybe they weren''t coming anymore.

    I waited for what felt like a while, but eventually, he came out with two plates. He took the part of the binsiel with the bone in it and gave me the other half. He also brought two tankards, and both of them had beer. He gave me the one that had a weaker smell.

    We sat there in silence just eating and drinking. I knew that if I tried to speak to him he just wouldn''t respond, so I was better off just eating with him waiting until we both finished.

    When he finally drank the rest of what was in his tankard, he slammed it down on the table and spoke again.

    "Now, what are you confused about exactly?"

    "You said that I should just do whatever I want, right?"

    "That''s putting it simply."

    "Then don''t put it simply. When you told me that I should just swing the sword how I want to, why did you say that? Why do you want me to just abandon technique?"

    "I''ll stop you there because that''s your first misunderstanding. I don''t want you to abandon technique as a whole, but-"Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    He struggled to say anything and repositioned his hands every few moments. Eventually, he laid back in his chair and gave me an actual explanation.

    "Do you know why people study the techniques of great swordsmen?"

    "Because they''re good?"

    "What makes them good?"

    "The swordsmen were good?"

    "Stop responding to my questions with not-answers. What made the techniques of great swordsmen appealing?"

    "Those techniques were good in battle."

    "How do we know they were good in battle?"

    "The swordsman who used them won fights."

    "Right."

    He started to lean in.

    "So people follow these techniques because the swordsman who used them won fights. Have any new sword styles been created recently?"

    "I don''t think so."

    "Why do you think that is?"

    "Because nobody uses new techni-"

    "Alright, never mind I''m just going to skip to the point."

    "Since when is the teacher the impatient one?"

    "I realized that my line of questioning would have taken way too long. It''s not just impatience, I should be setting an example as your role model."

    "Right."

    "Don''t you- how- stop. Anyway, here''s the point."

    He leaned fully in, resting his right elbow on his right leg, and putting his left hand on his left knee with his right hand up near his face.

    "There is a full possibility that you can create your own sword style, that you can create your own technique. If you win battles, it doesn''t matter what technique you use, all people will talk about is the fact that you won. I''m not telling you to abandon every single thing that you''ve learned, but what I am telling you is that instead of focusing on the rules and the way things are ''supposed'' to go, you need to focus more on developing the way that you fight."

    "How do you know?"

    "First, I know because you continuously lose to Koyo, who you denounce for not following the ''rules'' of swordplay. Second, I have a personal experience."

    "Is it-"

    "Yes, congratulations, I''m going to tell you a story."

    I realized that I was fully leaning in, resting my elbows on my legs as I listened to him speak.

    "A friend of mine who I don''t get to see a lot anymore was the most famous swordswoman in all the land. She was that way before I even met her, and it wasn''t for no good reason. Every single time she fought with someone she would proclaim her victory before the fight even began. No matter who she fought, every time she would win."

    I noticed he was smiling while telling me this story.

    "Now the thing is, she had this extremely weird sword. It was like this lance that doubled as a rapier in a way. The only truly sharp part of the blade was the tip, but she was versatile with her usage of the blade. Anyway, I always insulted her blade and one day she got sick of it and challenged me to a duel. I thought it was a good chance to-"

    "What did you bet?"

    "What?"

    "You said it was a duel, which means both of you bet something on it."

    "I''m getting there."

    I leaned back and let him finish the story.

    "Before we started she told me that if she lost, she would throw her sword away and never use it again, and if she won, I would have to listen to everything she asked me to do for a month''s time."

    "Well, what happened?"

    "I won, because of something unrelated."

    "So she threw away her sword?"

    "Why are you so interested in this story? I''m trying to make a point."

    "You''re talking about Alena Karamazov, aren''t you?"

    "Yeah."

    "Well, I love her. Not like "love" love her, she''s the entire reason that I picked up a sword."

    "She''s the reason you picked up a sword? You told me you picked up a sword because your family was murdered in front of you."

    "Well, I did. I continued to fight with the sword after I made it to Cyndor because of her. When she told the world that she was an orphan it caused riots, you know."

    "Well of course I know that, I was right there when she made that announcement. I was the one who told her to make that announcement?"

    "What? Why did you never tell me this?"

    "Well, I didn''t know that Alena was your personal hero."

    "How do you know Alena anyway?"

    He paused for a moment before answering.

    "Wait a minute, I was telling you a story so I could teach you a lesson."

    "Oh come on!"

    "I''ll tell you more about that some other time, now, back to what I was saying."

    "When are you going to tell me about how you know Alena?"

    "I didn''t end up forcing her to throw away her sword."

    He was ignoring me on purpose now.

    "Making her throw that sword away would have ruined her career anyway, but I realized something after the fight. Even though I had one, it was only by a small margin. If I had underestimated her in the slightest I probably would''ve lost before getting the chance to adjust."

    He leaned back into his chair again, he couldn''t stay still. Neither could I, I had leaned back in just as he changed his position.

    "What I took away was respect for the way that she fought. Even though she didn''t follow any techniques that I knew, even though she used a sword that I thought was ridiculous, after that duel, I couldn''t say that she wasn''t a great swordswoman. Do you understand what I''m telling you?"

    He was grinning at me, he wouldn''t do anything until I answered. I could just lie and say that I didn''t understand a single thing, but then he would never tell me about how he knew Alena.

    "So she was great with the sword without technique."

    "Exactly. The thing is, technique isn''t bad, but you''ll find that if you only follow someone else''s swordsmanship you''re only going to limit yourself. Sometimes, it''s good to know the basics, to have that foundation, but there are extreme examples like Tidugo where they force aspiring swordsmen to approach every fight like a mathematician. The last time I went over there they tried to lecture me about how I wasn''t embracing the truths of geometry and whatnot."

    He leaned back in again.

    "When you''re good enough with the sword, nobody will ever have any reason to question you. Any naysayers, anyone who tries to tell you that you''re doing it wrong is someone who you can beat in a duel, and people won''t care about what they say. Just like Koyo using his sword with one hand, if you are good with your blade it doesn''t matter how you use it, all that matters is that the way you use it works, and will continue to work."

    "And if it doesn''t?"

    He paused for a moment again.

    "If it doesn''t..."

    He ran his hands through his hair before finishing his sentence.

    "Then you find something new that does."

 Gone already?

    No, but I am temporarily out of commission.

    I wanted to post a note today explaining stuff but I forgot, relatively pre-occupied.

    I''ll post some stuff tomorrow, but expect a temporary absence until around Monday.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Often times we hold the opinions of our youth far too near and dear, and as adults we can never truly move past decisions made with inexperience.

    Maybe we trust our childhood years as an example of us in our purest form, unshaped by our environments and we cling to the thought processes of that time.

    I could never reject the effects of my childhood, but I surely will not let them adjudicate my choices.

    Deja Vu strikes once more.

 A Lecture from Klarinov Darnerobyk

    "In a world of lies, what do we call the truth?"

    He looked around the classroom quickly.

    "I see your hands, but I assure you that there is no chance any youth of this age could find the right answer to my question."

    Everyone dropped their hands immediately. He started to pace back and forth.

    "Let us assume that there is some force that obstructs our vision, some entity that seems to keep the truth from us. We then must assume that there is a reason for this endeavor, that this entity has proper motivation for such a feat."

    He pointed to a word written in large letters on a piece of parchment held to the wall.

    "We refer to this as the recognizable evil. An intent that we can properly label without any hesitation. We understand that there is no use in negotiation with the recognizable evil, as despite our universal label we have so hastily attached, we must also concede that we will never understand why they seek to corrupt us, just as the tree will never understand why it is cut down."

    He pointed to another word on a separate piece of parchment.

    "We refer to ourselves as the ambiguous defendant, an entity that is caught in a situation that it can not comprehend, and one that is forced to protect itself from all wills that seek to damage it in any fashion."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Someone in the back of the room raised their hand.

    "Yes?"

    "Professor, how can we call ourselves ambiguous? Do we not understand our own intentions?"

    "A common misunderstanding. We do not assume the label of ambiguity because of any error on our part, but rather we abide by the scrutiny of a universal constraint. We must concede that in order to assume a universal label there must be no doubt in a specific evaluation by any means that said label is true. With our spontaneity as a species, you will find that only labels that encompass large horizons will find themselves fulfilling this criterion."

    He stopped pacing around the room.

    "A disparity in understanding is always mutual. While two groups may not fail to understand the same aspects or larger topics regarding each other, it is given fact that the severity of this misconception will always be equal. We, as such, assume an individual realm for each group which is only accessible by the respective groups. We acknowledge that this dichotomy of ambiguous defendant against recognizable evil includes a space for each where only one group can reside."

    The same student raided his hand excitedly, as if he had made some great discovery.

    "Yes?"

    "So is it-"

    "Do not predict my lecture before it is delivered, Trotse."

    He shrunk back into is seat as quickly as he had leaped forward before.

    "We understand from previous lectures that the realm only accessible by our species is that of dreams, I believe I do not need to review three months of deduction for you all."

    The entire class made a noise of agreement.

    "Many great men have asked for a place where we will only find the purest form of truth, a place where there is no factor of deception, but what they have failed to conclude is that such a place can only be found through the avoidance of whatever factor impedes the truth."

    He pointed to the final word on the wall.

    "Our paradise of objectivity lies in our own sleep. When there are those that want to blind us, we must seek solace in the land where all can see. In simpler terms, consider your dreams objects of truth, and nothing less."

 Response (4)

    Ultimately, he only helped me a little. I understood what he wanted me to do, but his instructions were on the same level as phony fortune tellers who would claim to be from some nation west of Elknid.

    They would always use vague words and make you talk about what you wanted.

    Wait, is he one of them?

    No. He could''ve been raised by them. I''ll have to ask him about that later.

    He also still has to tell me about how he knows Karamazov, he avoided talking about it.

    It was way too dark outside for me to do anything, so I went up to my room and pulled out the book from under my bed. I flipped to the fifty-sixth page and started writing with the quill I had placed inside it last time.

    Instelday, Fourteenth Moon of Penilia

    Every page before this is now meaningless

    Create your own sword style, one without rules

    Get better with the sword

    Become great at the sword

    After writing down everything from today, I ripped the fifty-five pages that came before this one out of the book, but I pulled too hard and ended up ripping the entire book in two.

    I didn''t need it anyways. I don''t need to analyze every way that Koyo is wrong if I make my own perfect swordsmanship.

    I wonder if he''s lying to me. He could still be playing favorites, and this way I''ll never win against Koyo.

    That didn''t matter, if I agreed with what he was saying then he must be right. I don''t just listen to people whenever they tell me to do something. Actually, I almost never listen to people because they don''t say anything that''s right.

    If he was lying, he wasn''t lying fully, and so it didn''t matter. I''m going to make something so great that Koyo is going to lose no matter what they do. Either the teacher has to interfere, and then he''ll have no dignity, or I''m going to crack Koyo''s skull wide open.

    I needed to start with my body. The teacher said that Koyo can use his sword with one hand because it works well when he does, so if I get strong enough to use my sword with one hand, I''ll be able to do it without him complaining or telling me I''m wrong.

    I can do whatever I want with my sword if I get strong enough, the only question is how long I''ll have to wait before I improve. I need to make a daily routine.

    I took a piece of paper from the torn book on my floor and wrote a list down. I''ll keep this under my bed.

    Exercise

    One-hundred rumfboig

    Seventy-five ligashtutz

    One-hundred and fifty niiboig

    Twenty-five varcart-heroom ligashtutz

    Fifty climzoog

    I would have to do these in the morning before breakfast. It''s harder for me to move around a lot shortly after I eat, so I''ll wake up earlier than both of them and get my exercise right on time to come down for breakfast.

    I''ll wait for a bit and then get my sword and start creating my swordsmanship.

    With a plan ahead, I was finally able to go to sleep, but it took a while because I was too busy thinking about what they would say when I had finally beaten Koyo.

    I can''t wait to see the look on his face when I hit him so hard he stops breathing.

    I had to smack myself in the head a few times so I would stop talking to myself. I closed my eyes and fell asleep quickly after that.

    The sun woke me up today, and it''s the first of many. My room is on the side of Anatol, so if I''m not covering my windows then I''ll wake up right when dawn comes.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    My exercises didn''t go by as quick as I fell asleep the night before, and I ended up finishing a bit after the teacher was yelling at me to come down to breakfast. By the time I got there, I could barely move. Every single part of my body felt like it was burning, and I could only eat by moving my head around the table and eating whatever it was resting on.

    The teacher came by and saw me with my face in the eggs he had made.

    "I heard the floorboards creaking, why did you start exercising?"

    I tried to speak to him but my mouth was full of egg and I couldn''t spit it out because the rest of my head was on the plate. He grabbed my head by the sides and pulled me back up so I was leaning back on the chair. I took one of the eggs with me but it got ripped apart as I was being moved and fell onto the clothes I was wearing.

    I still couldn''t move at all, and my head fell to the side when he let go of me, but I could see him now. I felt the yolk of the egg drip down the side of my face. He was looking at me with disgust, and he wasn''t really trying to hide it either.

    He took a handkerchief that was on the table and used it to wipe my face down.

    "You''ll have to deal with the clothes yourself. You didn''t tell me why you started exercising."

    I had to wait a bit so I could swallow the egg that was in my mouth, and it was even hard to do that. After a few moments of him standing there awkwardly waiting for me to be able to speak, I finally said something.

    "I''m getting stronger."

    He grinned at me before speaking.

    "Is that right? Why are you deciding to get stronger now?"

    My voice was quieter than usual, and it sounded like I was forcing myself to breathe out while talking to him.

    "You said that I should swing the sword how I want to swing the sword."

    "I''m not sure you''re going to be swinging a sword today."

    He was still grinning at me. He was right. I had no idea what I was doing, and I wouldn''t be able to actually practice with my sword at all. I can''t swing a sword like this, I definitely can''t create a whole new style like this.

    I leaned forward again so my head would lay face down on the table and I wouldn''t have to look at him right now. Before my head actually hit the table he caught me and leaned me back on the chair like how I was.

    "I''m just teasing you. I actually am glad that you''re taking my advice so soon, I thought you''d throw a fit and hole yourself up in your room for at least a month."

    "Why would I do that? You''re just trying to help me, right?"

    He wasn''t grinning at me anymore, but instead just smiling at me. He looked like he was thinking about something. When he spoke again, his voice wasn''t how it usually was. It was lower, more like one of those old men you''d find sitting on the side of the road.

    "Yeah."

    He stuck his right hand out and put it on my head. He moved his hand around and messed up my hair, patting me on the head a few times before leaving the room while mumbling to himself.

    I do not know what that was about, but I still couldn''t move. I sat in the chair for a while and I started to inch myself back up the stairs and into my bed. After a while of stopping to lean on the wall, tripping over myself with each step, and nearly breaking my nose after the twentieth time of falling flat on my face.

    When I finally made it to my bed I was only able to stay still if I was lying down sprawled out. Any time I tried to bend my knee, move my arm, sleep on my side, or even move my head from looking straight up at the ceiling I would be reminded that my entire body is in pain.

    I laid in my bed for the entire day. Even when I was able to move slightly, it wasn''t enough for me to get back off the bed that I had just been able to throw myself onto. Even if I stood up for a few seconds I know that I''ll crumble right after that, and I''d rather be forced to lie down on something that won''t hurt me more than I already am.

    This wouldn''t work. I don''t know how long it''s going to take for me to not be like this after exercising, but I plan to increase the amount of exercise if it ever gets easier for me. I want to stick with that, so I need to change something about the exercise.

    Changing the things that I do won''t work, I need to train my entire body, and the ones that I chose help me do that best. Changing the amount that I do will make it so I don''t get the strength that I''m looking for, I need to be constantly working if I want to catch up to him.

    I would have to change the time that I was exercising, that way I wouldn''t have to worry about my entire body refusing to move after.

    Alright, the next time I''m actually able to go through with my list of exercises, I''ll do it right before I fall asleep. When I wake up in the morning, I''ll be able to practice with the sword, and then I''ll be able to do my exercises that night as well.

    However, my body refused to listen to me for a whole week. For seven whole days I was stuck barely moving myself to eat and then struggling to get back to my bed. The pain was different every day.

    For the first few days, it was some sort of pinching feeling. Every time I would move in a way that my body didn''t like, which was any way at all, it would be like someone was grabbing my legs or my arms as hard as they could like they were trying to rip my limbs off.

    After that faded, it just felt like any other ache that I''ve had, like when I slammed my knee straight into a boulder by accident and had a limp for a month. I still couldn''t move well though, and this time it hurt whether or not I was moving. It was hard for me to fall asleep.

    Finally, the next week arrived after the torture of being forced to do nothing for that long. I made sure to eat a lot that day, but I didn''t practice at all. I didn''t want to risk ruining myself before I even got the chance to go through my routine for the second time.

    The sun finally set and I got through with all of the exercises very quickly. I felt strong, and even though my body had a similar sort of pinching feeling, I didn''t fall to the floor, I didn''t have to lean on the wall.

    I went to bed excited, I can''t wait to finally see how much I''ve grown even with two nights. If I could barely move for a whole week, then I must be much stronger than before. I fell asleep easier than any night for the past seven days.

    I woke up ready for a day full of just swinging my sword.

    My body had other plans for me, and once again I could not move.

 Response (5)

    Another week went by, stuck in my bed.

    Maybe exercising wasn''t the right option. I don''t have enough time to only exercise once a week and then not move for seven whole days.

    Is this it? This is the reason I''m going to give up? Because I can''t get my body to just listen? Because I can''t do some simple exercise?

    Even though I could move, I didn''t want to. I just sat in my bed, skipping breakfast, skipping lunch. The sun was right on my face when the teacher came into my room. I couldn''t see his face, but he was probably looking at me in pity.

    "I promised I would never lie to a student of mine; you''ve wasted the past two weeks."

    He was talking in that same tone of voice, that same way that he would tease me no matter the occasion. He never took me seriously, but he always was different with Koyo.

    I spoke at him through clenched teeth.

    "I know."

    "Why are you angry with me?"

    "You didn''t help."

    "You wanted me to help?"

    "Yes, I wanted you to help!"

    It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, deciding to start screaming at him. The past two weeks have been hell, and he didn''t do anything about it.

    "I can see that you''re mad."

    "You didn''t come to check on me! Fourteen whole days! I sat in my bed for fourteen days and you did nothing!"

    "I let you work through this yourself. I told you that if I gave you the solution it wouldn''t mean anything. If anything I''ve said those words the most since you came here."

    "Bullshit!"

    "Alright, hold on-"

    "What? Cursing is too far? You leave me to rot for two weeks and I can''t curse at you?"

    "It''s not about cursing at me. You''re drawing the wrong conclusions-"

    "Fuck the ''wrong conclusions.'' You abandoned me!"

    "I didn''t abandon you, I let you learn."

    "What have I learned! What did I get! What did you teach me by letting me sit all alone while you taught Koyo everything he needed to know!"

    He mumbled something to himself that I only caught a few words from.

    "Is this really what I looked like?"

    He leaned on the side of the doorframe and put only his left thumb in his left pocket. He stared at me, probably waiting for me to say something.

    "You never do anything for me! You sit there and watch him beat me up and then you tell me that it''s entirely my fault! You never talk about anything that he does wrong, I''ve never seen you even talk to him if you''re not praising how good he is!"

    He didn''t respond this time.

    "Two years and I haven''t gotten a single thing! I haven''t landed a single hit! I haven''t won a single match! You don''t give me anything! He doesn''t give me anything! He just sits there and waits, and then he hits me and I don''t get anything from it! I just have to wait, and then lose against him again! Again, and again, and I haven''t changed!"

    I looked back at him, he was clearly pitying me. Looking down on me. Of course he was. I probably looked like some whiny brat right now, screaming at him because I lost a match. Of course he sees it that way.

    "One hit, one single win, that''s all I need! Even if I don''t win against him, even if I fail a thousand times, I just need something! I just needed you to tell me I was right, to help me get through beating after beating, time after time getting hit straight to the floor and forcing myself to get back up again. And I could do it! I could do it, and all I wanted was for you to just tell me I was right! Tell me I was doing well!"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    My eyes turned blurry, and I felt water dripping down my face. I saw him get off the wall and started walking toward me. What was he going to do? Was he going to slap me? Was he going to tell me off? I continued to scream at him.

    "You''re just like him. You''re just like him! Both of you think that everything you''re doing is right, and you can never be wrong, but you never do anything that helps! He just sits there and gets to be perfect at the sword while you ignore the one person actually trying to improve so you can hold him tight when he cries cause he chipped his fucking nail!"

    He stopped walking toward me, he was in the middle of the room now.

    "His nail! Not even on his dominant hand, the ring finger of his left hand and he chipped his nail and burst into tears, and all you could think about for the next month was making sure he was going to be okay! Night after night you''d walk into his room and I''d hear you comforting him, I wouldn''t be surprised if you were fucking wiping the tears from his face."

    I wiped my eyes and I could see him more clearly, he wasn''t looking back at me, he was looking off to the side at the floor like he was embarrassed about what I was saying.

    "And I thought ''Wow! What a nice person! Except he fucking never does anything like that, FOR ME!'' You just sit there and tell me about how horrible I am with my sword, and how much I can get better, and every time you talk to him it''s like I''m watching you speak with a toddler! An infant who doesn''t know about anything and has to be coddled!"

    My throat started to hurt, it was hard to swallow, but if I didn''t it felt like my skin would just dry up and fall right off.

    "But no! Apparently that''s okay, it''s all right to coddle him when he chips a nail that he doesn''t even use but losing one-thousand four hundred and fifty-three times to the same person, day after day, and trying my hardest to improve and you can''t even lift a single fucking finger! I just wanted you to say that I was changing, I just wanted you to tell me that I wasn''t wasting every day putting all my effort into beating someone who could flick his wrist and knock me to the ground and you just stood there and looked at me like I was an adult who was crazy for getting upset over the thousandth loss! You looked at me like I was someone who should deal with his own problems, like you couldn''t believe I was complaining!"

    He started to walk toward me again, slowly, and he extended his arms out and tried to put them around me. What was he trying to do, pull me into a hug? Was he going to hold me close while he explained why he chose to make my life horrible for the past two years when he had every opportunity to lend a single helping hand?

    When he actually got close to touching me I swatted his hand away and glared at him, my eyes were blurry again but I couldn''t wipe them. If I wasn''t pushing him away from me he''d probably hold me and force me to apologize, talk about my feelings, and whatever other load of bullshit he''ll use to get out of his part in why I''m outraged.

    "Get out!"

    He pulled his hand back quickly. I found the time to wipe my eyes and look up at him. He was looking at me with those sad eyes that I''d seen everywhere. The homeless, the hungry, whatever animal you''re about to kill so you can eat that night.

    We just sat there, and I started to breathe shakily, I got congested, and I had to force myself to breathe slowly so I didn''t choke on my own spit. Eventually, I saw something move from behind him. There he was. That spoiled bastard standing at the door.

    I wonder how much he heard. He probably didn''t care. Maybe he was here to gloat, or to support the teacher. Well, of course, he''s here to support the teacher. He has him wrapped around his chipped fucking ring finger.

    The teacher turned around as well to look at him, and just when he did Koyo rushed away and I heard him run down the stairs. The door was swung wide open, and the teacher looked at me. What, was he looking for my permission to go after him?

    "Go on, chase your golden boy!"

    He ran out of the door as well. Of course he did. Not even a second thought, he just wanted me to say okay so he could come back without me being mad at him. He''d probably cook some meal and bring it to me later.

    Maybe he wouldn''t even come back. He''d spend the entire night chasing after Koyo and then spend another month sitting beside him while he cries himself to sleep. Of course he''ll be there to wipe every tear.

    I heard the wind blow as he ran out of the house to chase after Koyo, and I knew he wouldn''t be coming back for a while. I didn''t want to go after them, I''d just have to witness an hour of them hugging each other and crying their hearts out.

    I got off my bed and walked down the stairs to close the door. I went into the room with all the food and looked for something to eat or drink. There was nothing but a barrel full of beer and another full of water. I took a tankard from the table to my left and filled it up with beer. I walked into the main room and sat in the chair that he always sat in whenever he would talk to me about how I needed to speak about my own thoughts and feelings.

    I sat there and slowly drank the beer in the tankard, sip by sip. It wasn''t the kind that the teacher would usually give me, it was the strong kind that he poured himself. It tasted horrible, usually, mine just tasted kind of like this, muddled down with water. I drank it anyways. Sip by sip. I wasn''t even drinking it, I was just pouring it into my mouth, and letting it fall down into my stomach.

    I sat there even after I finished the drink, and I just thought about what I''d say to him when he got back.

    I thought about what I''d do tomorrow, and how I would get back at them for making the last two years of my life the most horrible they could.

    I need to know how I''m actually going to get better with my damn sword.

 Response (6)

    I hate this damn house. The furniture that''s way too soft for you to even sit upright. The walls, floors, every single piece of wood that creaks when you walk over it. The large rooms, taking more space than any person could need. The seats everywhere with nobody to fill them, the tables that sit in the corner without any food.

    I sat there alone waiting for him to come back with Koyo up in his arms. I didn''t even fall asleep in the chair, I didn''t knock myself out with the beer I was drinking. I sat there staring at the door for the rest of the night. I must''ve looked over every single chip on the wood, every single scratch on the handle, every single mark on the frame.

    I looked at that door until it blended into the wall, and even then he still hadn''t come back. The sun came up behind me, gracing the back of my head with its warmth and painting a plain brown scene a colorful blood orange. The room turned into one big canvas that I was sat down right in the middle of as its painter changed colors. Only when the light of day became less exciting was I able to see that same door once more.

    The teacher picked this time to waltz right in, but he didn''t have anyone with him. As soon as he closed the door behind him we just stared at each other for a while. He wasn''t avoiding my glance, and I looked into his eyes as he refused to say a single word. He wasn''t upset, at least he didn''t look upset. His expression was blank like he was just passing by, walking back into the house without the person he had spent all night looking for.

    Maybe he didn''t care. Maybe he let that spoiled brat run off to whatever other house he''d terrorize by beating up the kids who were already there and letting the adults praise him for it. Maybe he just couldn''t find him, somehow that brat got away from someone who was close friends with Karamazov.

    "He''s gone." He spoke in that same low tone of voice whenever he wanted to be serious. "I don''t know where he is, but I can''t spend a week looking for him."

    The worst part is that he''s lying. He and I both know where he is because this isn''t the first time he''s put on a little show of running away from home. The teacher told me where he found him last time because he thought something like this would happen again.

    Son of a bitch. He wants me to go find him and make amends. He wants to get some sort of beautiful scene going where we hug right in front of the sunset and talk about how we don''t actually hate each other.

    Maybe he struck a deal with Koyo, I mean he must have let him go sit by his little tree, otherwise he''d just drag him right back here. What was their conversation like? Was this some sort of plot?

    Maybe this was a part of his "training," if you could even call it that. He''s like one of those gurus who tell you all about how training your mind is more important than training your body. What is your mind going to do when I smash your skull in with a 4-foot-long steel blade?

    Whatever, I wasn''t going to let him emotionally blackmail me. What blackmail did he even have? He''s known ever since the first day that I don''t give a flying fuck what that detestable lump of self-righteous assholery thinks or feels.

    "Okay." I was just sitting there glaring at him. He didn''t have any ground to stand on, I wanted to see what he was going to do. Maybe he''d promise me some secret sword technique for tracking Koyo down. That was probably the best-case scenario, forcing him to actually teach me by either holding his favorite student hostage or forcing him to walk away from this manufactured sentimental moment.

    He still had that same blank expression on his face until he turned away, probably to think about his next steps. I was prepared for anything, any screaming, even a threat of violence, I could deal with all of it. There was no way I was going to let this deceitful bootlicker make me chase after an undeserving bastard without at least laying a hand on me.

    If he did lay a hand on me I could just leave myself, and then he''d be forced to chase after Koyo and be down a dummy to use for target practice.

    When he looked back to me though, I was forced to choke on my words. He looked pained, like, I don''t know, someone had killed his dog. He was on the verge of tears, I could see his eyes watering up, but he refused to break eye contact. This wasn''t what I expected him to do. Two years of being here and he''s never shown a single emotion that wasn''t surprise or smugness.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I didn''t know what to do, he wouldn''t stop. I saw some of the tears roll down his face and it made me sick. I wasn''t used to seeing him like this. I couldn''t possibly be used to seeing like this, I''m surprised that he didn''t flick his wrist and blow me away so I wouldn''t see him breaking down. Why was he upset? He knew where Koyo was, he knew how to find him and bring him back.

    He knew very well what he had done to me unless he''s been sleepwalking for the past two years obviously he would know about the choices that he made to put Koyo''s constant affirmations over a single compliment sent my way. What did he have to cry about? This was probably some late-stage regret, maybe he was visited by his dead father last night when he slept next to Koyo.

    What was it? What the fuck was it? What did he have to cry about? Why was he looking at me like that? How could he? Did I do something wrong? I''ve sat here all night waiting for him to bring back a teenager who loves to cry like he''s five whenever he doesn''t get exactly what he wants and I didn''t even blow up at him when he walked in the door like I should''ve.

    He should be apologizing profusely, and yet he''s standing there looking at me like I''m throwing my life away because I won''t play his little game of fetch. What is this? What is he trying to tell me? His eyes closed a bit, but there were still tears coming from them. He refused to say a word but I could see his head shake a bit. He was struggling to stay still. What-

    ...

    I''m too gullible. Tears from a grown man are enough to make me do something that I know is irredeemably stupid. I didn''t even care about him, I couldn''t hate him anymore in that moment than I have for the past two years but I couldn''t bring myself to say anything to him while he was about to break down right in front of me.

    I just bolted out the door and found myself walking into the forest where Koyo loved to hide. I don''t have time to ask myself why his tears just sent me running to help. An adult man. A grown man shedding tears. That should be embarrassing. He should be ashamed for putting his emotions in the hands of a teenager. I don''t know why I don''t hate him, why I don''t feel the way I do with Koyo.

    If Koyo broke down crying in front of me I''d laugh until I ran out of breath, and I''d laugh so loud the entire continent would create a legend out of me. They''d wonder where such a loud laugh came from and if they''d ever hear it again. I''d walk into an in and hear some adventurers talk about "the loudest laugh ever known" and think about how all it took were some tears from the snobbiest bitch in this entire plane.

    I walked around the forest for a bit. I didn''t want to approach him during the day anyways. He loved to be snuck up on, I couldn''t tell why. The teacher told me that the last time he did this, every single time he tried to get near him, the brat would run away to another tree, but as soon as the sun set he was able to reel him back in easily.

    I just picked up random sticks and twigs and threw them around. I brought my sword with me in case any beasts chose now to eat him. I''d let them if it weren''t for whatever magic the teacher used to make me care about his sorry state. I''d have to look at the ugly face he makes whenever he cries if I came back and told him that all I found was a half-eaten corpse.

    I started to swing at the random trees that I passed by. If I just continued to walk around I''d probably stick my sword straight through my own head out of boredom, and plus I heard a story somewhere about how marking objects as you walk in a certain direction can help you get back to where you came from. Apparently, some guy used a ball of yarn for this.

    I didn''t need any help getting back to that house, he told me exactly where Koyo was hiding the last time he pulled this little stunt anyway, but I''d rather not die before I even get the chance to see his little act. I spent most of the afternoon walking past trees and making dents in them with my blade.

    Each time the dents would grow larger, and eventually some of the trees started to fall over when the slice was too deep. Wait a moment, I was cutting down trees in a single slice? I was doing in absent-mindedly too, but it felt great. Every single time my sword would make contact with a tree it would feel like, well, I can''t even say. I don''t know what is making hitting these trees so appealing but I just couldn''t stop.

    I must''ve cleared out hundreds of them when I remembered that I''m not supposed to get noticed by him while I''m out here trying to lure him back to the house. I started just swinging my blade around in the air, vertically, horizontally, diagonally, it didn''t matter. It gave me the same feeling as hitting the trees.

    I sat in the same place and swung around my sword for a while. I swung it around until my arms were sore and I couldn''t keep my balance. The feeling of the wind blowing around me, the sound of my sword passing by faster than before, the rush of making contact with the ground, or even finishing a swing in the air.

    But just as I had this epiphany, right on cue came the sight of Koyo''s head, and I was forced to limp my way over to the tree. The sun was setting, so it was time for me to finally go get him now.

 Giving Thanks

    Yes, I will be taking a break from the actual novel for this. According to holiday schedule I''ll probably finish up the prologue after new years'', which works out because I need an excuse to still be writing when 2025 comes around.

    Ultimately, I''ve come to the conclusion that writing about being thankful is on topic, and you''ll have to ignore the fact that Thanksgiving is actually tomorrow and not today.

    I am thankful for the readers of my novel. Every time I look back at the chapters I''ve written and think about the chapters to come I am grateful that there is at least one person reading, motivating me to release another chapter, urging me to continue the story.

    I do like writing, however tedious it may seem for me at times. I am glad that there are people who motivate me to continue writing, because I ought to have one thing that I''m devoted to constantly working on, and I''d rather it be this.

    Sometimes you make mistakes because you''re ignorant of where the line is. You mess up and only truly realize it because of the reaction, because of whatever you''ve done incurs. It''s a shame, and it''s a hard situation to analyze. Could you truly say it was your fault for not knowing where the line is?

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Ultimately it depends on context, but it is nonetheless an unfortunate spot to be in. A mistake oft is a mistake because of that distinct lack of knowledge, and I reckon that we use the word "mistake" more to describe when we did not know something that would''ve allowed us to make the right choice than to describe some uncontrollable mishap.

    Perhaps using that word allows us to be absolved of responsibility, maybe we want to shed that lack of knowledge as any fault of ours and blame the circumstances for our sorry state. But we do accept responsibility for making that mistake.

    I think that language is oft taken for granted. Maybe I am attempting to extrapolate my beliefs before this supposed enlightenment onto the entire world, but I can not fathom that the study of how each individual choice that is made when a common phrase is created, slang, new words, down to the very creation of the letter, how all of that plays such a large role in every society.

    Maybe because it is so foundational, we look past it and reach to the stars for new topics of debate. We traveled to space before exploring the sea in its entirety, after all.

    I am thankful, though. I remain happy, through all of this.

    But who is there to thank for that happiness?

 One Sorrows Feast

    "To a thousand more years under an untouched empire."

    "To a thousand more years protected by an insurmountable sea."

    "To a thousand more years under one empire, so vast yet naught but united."

    "To a thousand more years under me. Now raise your cups, and drink!"

    The festivities went off without a hitch. Everyone was drinking, laughing, indulging in conversations plenty.

    I struggled to find my way around the room, the one spot of floor where I could stand without getting compressed kept darting to a new corner every time I''d approach it.

    Eventually I found my place right before him, a king who would never even spare me a glance if not for the demanding circumstances.

    We locked eyes for no more than a moment, he could never know who I was, but he glared at me as though he could discern my motives merely with his eyes.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Too many moments spent staring at each other turned to an air of discomfort, as he picked up his cup and prepared to make a toast so we would not be trapped in an unfortunate silence.

    "Listen here, my subjects! Listen, and listen well. Tonight we celebrate the birth of our empire, and we celebrate the triumph over all our impediments."

    He quickly looked around the room at the large swaths of people leaving the floor begging for mercy.

    "As you find yourself lucky enough to engage in festivities, to drink and eat that which is so kindly provided to you, I ask you to join me in recognition of our greatest feat, the founding of this empire."

    Sounds of acknowledgement sporadically surfaced from around the room.

    "It was not so long ago that our great founder was faced with a choice, of whether to feed his people or feed himself. A lie that may have been propagated for generations could so easily have dismantled everything we would come to hold dear before it was given the chance to exist."

    He raised his drink in preparation to finish it in one sip.

    "To you who fended off hostiles, so we may eat as a whole in the land promised to us, o'' great serpent we eternally thank you."

    As he downed his drink, I made my way out of the room. My plan has been complete, and my proof would take only moments to appear in front of the crowd.

    Only he was deserving of a death so poetic, to pass away at a feast meant to celebrate the sheer violent will and accompanying power of his great empire.

    But the past yearns for completion, and I only act as its medium.

 Wasted Time

    Day 7895

    I''ve finally found it, the source of that affinity.

    When I return to Vzerhthild they will welcome me as though I have returned their savior.

    Durssel will be forced to grovel beneath me, he will be labeled an unbeliever. Though I can not place fault in his doubts, who would ever think that across endless snow laid such a beautiful place?

    A garden of knowledge, bearing endless fruit ripe for the taking by any brave wanderer who will travel far and wide, crossing violent seas and deadlier storms of frost. Should I thank my resilience, believe myself an untold prophet, or am I merely a consequence of immense luck?

    Day 7896

    I basked in the pools of gentle snow and faint invisible draw. My entire body was compelled by a force unknown, the scholars of our empire likened this to the bolts of lightning sent from the sky. I could not comprehend this comparison, but I had no proper rationale to deny it.

    After I exasperated the light, and the sky was no longer covered I found a painting on a white-dotted violet canvas. Thin colored clouds danced through the sky, vibrant variations of green and blue that I could only attempt to describe in all their beauty.

    I had come to expect a reward for my troubles, but this is far beyond my wildest imagination. This is far beyond the very realm I exist in, I did not know, no, I could never know that such a pure representation of beauty would show its face to a life form such as I.

    I fell asleep as this beautiful sight danced elegantly in front of my closed eyes. Had I not tired myself from days of travel I would engrave every crevice of this sight into my very soul.

    Day 7897

    I began my journey from whence I came.

    I saw a vague figure approaching as I struggled to inch through the endless barrage of wind and needles composed of ice.

    As the figure became more clear to me, a large gale swept away my belongings, and most of the items I had used to maintain my own warmth. However, when my eyes emerged from the blinding gust of wind I was no longer cold, it was as though everything around me had agreed to pause for the moment I was experiencing.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    One figure turned into seven, all of them with great allure. The form of Durssel''s lover appeared in front of me seven-fold. Perhaps this is a dream, but it also serves a reminder of my unrequited love for her.

    The figures exchanged glances, and only one of them remained. She approached me slowly and placed her hand on my cheek. I felt her velvet skin caress mine, and the scenery around me shifted to that of my own home.

    She hid her figure under the fur covering my bed, and looked at me with eyes of incomparable compassion. She glanced at a figure beside me, and I turned in kind to view this intruder. It was Durssel himself, tied to a chair sat unmistakably center. In my hand emerged a weapon, a tool for this purpose. She need not make any request, for I understood well what she wanted of me. We were both in want of the same occurrence.

    I returned the head of this man to nothing but a collection of unsightly flesh and bone ground to dust. Each blow stronger than the next, each sight of his immense pain inviting me to rejoice.

    She whispered sweet words in my ear, and affirmed my actions. She felt the same joy as I, we shared our happiness in this declaration of our love. His screams and cries were met with uncontrollable laughter, until he could scream and cry no more. What remained was a headless husk of his being, and with my part complete she invited me to rest with her.

    When I viewed her divine figure once more it was just as I had imagined. She was covered by entirely in the flesh and blood of the competitor I had slaughtered in her honor, and with my own figure being similarly covered she invited me into her embrace. Her skin felt as though it was constructed of silk, as if she were a goddess returned to the world merely so I may be rewarded for my noble deeds. As we entered into harmony together, I thought of his cries. I wished for his eternal suffering. I hoped that he watched on as I took that which never belonged to him, and I hoped that he would suffocate on his own tears of rage and want.

    I raised my head to view her face, and I saw the most precious smile I would ever witness. Thousands of teeth aligned to express her joy, her face stretched widely enough so she could truly show her emotion in all its entirety. I enjoyed an endless slumber in her arms.

    Day 1422

    Our return journey had just began when we came across the corpse of a man nearly buried in the snow. We initially viewed a portion of his foot, and uncovered the rest of his body later. Perhaps calling this thing a "man," is far too generous, for it was more a monster than any life I would have the misfortune of laying eyes upon. Both of its arms had been removed from his body, they were lying elsewhere, torn into pieces, as though some beast had eaten them. It was unclothed, and covered in long-frozen blood and flesh. Its skin had blackened nearly to the point that we would not be able to discern any of its facial features, but one part of it stood apart. Its eyes remained wide open, and stained with an unforgettable shade of red. After we took the proper amount of time to erase that horrific sight from our minds, we continued on our return.

    Day 1423

    Seven figures appeared before me.

 Returned

    I made a promise once that I''d write a full chapter every night I was at my house, and yet here I am with nothing but a snippet, an extra beyond the actual story itself. I also once promised myself that I''d write full chapters every night regardless of my location. Before that, I promised myself that one chapter would be a ticket to stardom.

    Who am I to blame for these unkept promises? Should I blame the current me, or as the past me would view it the future me for being unable to uphold a promise that I was once certain I''d be able to keep? That can''t be right. Despite my bold aspirations, I can never truly take on anything. If a rock were to be thrown at my head from behind me, I would only avoid getting knocked unconscious by mere chance.

    Do I blame the past me for thinking too highly of myself? That can''t be right either. We should never blame the aspirational for their optimism. Often we praise needless pessimism as this logical alternative, we conflate it with the buzzword version of ''realism''. That''s not fair. That''s not a valid outlook on life.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    You can choose to see the world whichever way you see fit, but it''s never right to make someone else see it the same way. We are allowed to give people the tools to make their own beliefs, but it is beyond sin to force our own upon them.

    I don''t know. A long drive up north and a hectic evening tells me that I''m not able to make the chapter that I want to, so you''re stuck with a third monologue. I initially intended for the halfway break monologue to stand alone, but that was still when I thought I could make chapters away from home.

    Maybe I should''ve done something differently. Even one choice that was different could''ve landed me in a future unknown to my current self.

    But that''s not fair.

    Because the future is unpredictable.

    As am I.

 Response (7)

    As I walked up behind him, he didn''t move. Not even an inch. He must''ve been expecting me, otherwise he would be halfway across the forest by this point. He probably knows that if he runs away I''ll just let him take whatever trip he wants.

    If this is really some play for affection, is it, why-

    I''ve been up for too long. I can barely walk towards him without tripping over myself. I''m going to have to pretend to care about his whining about how bad his life is repeatedly beating me up at every chance and how I''m the problem.

    I''m going to have to pretend to care. I wonder what the odds are that the teacher will just kill me if I don''t bring him back with me. How long can he really go without running back to the house and lying down in his bed fit for some noble?

    I mean I do sometimes say that he can run off to some other house but we''re a large distance away from any city, any village, even a tiny town. I don''t even know if there are any military outposts near where we are.

    I inched behind him trying my hardest not to fall over, using my sword as some sort of cane. Even that didn''t help much, and I still tripped over roots and uneven dirt as I walked past the trees surrounding me. If he wasn''t sitting right there I would just cut them down.

    I might just cut them down now, he isn''t injured. I don''t think he wants to die, he just wants someone to hug him while he laments about how the world sucks and how everything "bad" that has happened to him could never be his own fault.

    When I finally found my way in front of him I was leaning on my sword that was dug into the ground with both of my hands, I could barely keep my head upright so I could see his face.

    His eyes were swollen, of the parts that I could actually see they were painted light red with dark red branches sticking out from the sides. His clothes were roughed up, torn around the elbows and knees but he didn''t have any injuries. He was just sitting there hugging his knees to his chest looking right back up at me.

    What should I say? I''d rather slice my head off cleanly right in front of him than act sentimental and start tearing up. I''m pretty sure faking being sad and actually caring about whatever predicament he''s put himself in is worse than just being honest about my apathy.

    Does that mean that I should fake being sad? I''m not sure he''s currently sane enough to get that I''d be screwing with him, so then he just thinks that I actually care and I still don''t win.

    What should my first line be? I''m going to spare the effort of faking tears so he''ll just have to deal with the fact that I don''t care in the least bit about his temper tantrum.

    "Come on, let''s go."

    He looked a bit surprised. What a bummer, he must''ve actually expected that I would play along with him and talk about how I will do something better. Did he want me to apologize? That would be too far, I know that he probably told the teacher that he wanted me to trek all the way out here and "save" him.

    "Saving" him doesn''t sound right, this is more like forcing me to help someone who doesn''t need any help.

    "No."

    Well, that seems about right. Thinking that he would just let me show up and then agree to end this whole affair was dumb, so that''s my fault. It''s going to be hard to hide the fact that I''m annoyed, so I''m better off just saying the truth instead of not speaking at all. He can clearly tell that I''m glaring at him because he started to shift around a bit.

    "What''s it gonna take? Do you want me to get on my knees and grovel? Maybe you want me to go find some fruit so you can indulge while I break my back spoiling an already-spoiled toddler."

    He didn''t respond. So this is how he''s going to play it. I knew he was a child but I didn''t think he would abandon all of his dignity and give me the silent treatment. He was glaring back at me. I could barely tell through his swollen eyes but I saw the slightest bit of anger in his expression.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Un-be-lievable. I don''t know where he got this from. Usually, he didn''t have to act defiant because he would always win against me whenever I would insult him or tell him no. It''s kind of funny. If I weren''t breaking my back and driving myself insane just to get him home maybe I''d be a little bit happy that he''s finally acting in a way that doesn''t scream obnoxious.

    Unfortunately, being petty right now is not something that I can appreciate while I''m about to fall to the ground right with him.

    If he''s like this, then he isn''t prepared to do any sort of fighting. He probably wouldn''t expect it if I got angry, if I started screaming at him. Alright. Let''s try it.

    "You''re unbearable. Do you know that? Every day I''m here you beat me relentlessly, and then just walk away like you''re some master swordsman teaching me a lesson. Every day you lecture me, you tell me why I''m wrong, you berate me for not being able to beat you, and now, what, you think that if you run away that I''ll come chasing right after you, and sit with you and cry with you until you say that you''re fucking ready to cut your bullshit act and come back?"

    He still wasn''t responding.

    "DO YOU?"

    He flinched and hit his head on the tree he was leaning against. Some of the leaves fell down and stuck to his now dirt-covered clothes. He was shaking a bit, watching closely to see what I would do next.

    I needed to speed up this argument so I wouldn''t fall asleep on the way back to the house. I raised my sword up from the ground and quickly sliced the tree that he was leaning on. I got my sword as close as I could to his head without actually hitting it, and the tree immediately fell over. I expected it to fall away from him, but instead, it fell towards us both.

    I dashed forward and placed my foot against the ground and the tree to brace myself. I dropped my sword to my side and raised my hands straight up above my head in preparation to catch the falling tree. I couldn''t look up, my head wasn''t listening to me at all at this point so I just had to hope that the log would fall onto at least one of my hands.

    It fell onto my left hand and I immediately repositioned myself to catch the log on my left shoulder. As soon as it made contact with my shoulder I heard a loud cracking sound in my back and I nearly fell to the ground with the log. Somehow I stayed standing and I looked at him.

    "Properly scare-"

    I saw something. His hand was holding something tightly. I couldn''t quite see what it was, I didn''t know what he was holding, but I knew that it was something. What was it? I looked closer and closer, I tried to make out any details of the object. The weight of the log was really starting to bear down on me. Just before my shoulder gave out I caught a glimpse of it, and just as quickly as I saw it, a glare cast by the sun obscured my vision.

    I quickly ducked under the tree and shoved it off to my right. It fell straight to the ground and nearly buried my sword with it. I quickly pushed my sword a bit to the left with my foot, and after everything was said and done I just stood there staring at him still leaning on the stump of the tree that was left.

    He knew that I had seen what he was holding in his hand because he didn''t have that defiant look in his eyes anymore. He didn''t have any look in his eyes. He was blankly staring at me the same way the teacher did. He was thinking of the next best move, but he didn''t have one. He couldn''t have one. He would never have expected me to see it in the first place.

    What was he going to use it for? Did he think that I was actually going to hit him? He must''ve been preparing it for something. I guess scaring him worked better than I expected, better than he expected, even.

    I didn''t want to talk to him at all. I couldn''t say anything to him. I glared at him as he quickly got up from the ground and quickly stepped back away from me, coincidentally right out of the distance of a swing of my sword. We exchanged glances instead of words, and he knew that he had no reason to say anything, to act out in any way as we walked back to the house.

    The entire time that we were walking, he didn''t say a single word. He didn''t run, he didn''t come up near me, nothing changed. Nothing at all. We walked at the same speed the entire way with him a short distance behind me, and didn''t say a single word. The only sound there was the occasional stepped-on branch and hum of nearby insects.

    When we got back to the house I slowly opened the door and motioned for him to walk inside before me. He kept his head down as he walked by me and we still did not say anything to each other. The teacher was in the main room when we walked in, and he was probably going to say something before he saw the both of us.

    Whatever sentence he had prepared was wholly interrupted by the sight of Koyo sulking as he rushed through the room without running and went straight up the stairs back to his own room. Before I went up to my own room I just stood there and stared at him for a few moments. We exchanged glances ourselves, and after a bit, he understood the situation fully. I was glaring at him as I walked through the room and up the stairs, and he was left speechless.

    I walked into my room and closed the door behind me, and I sat silently on my bed thinking about what I saw.

    I hate this fucking place.

 Interim

    Swinging my sword every day for three months didn''t seem like a good idea at first. It still doesn''t seem like a good idea, my arms would probably rather throw themselves into a pit of fire than spend another day being forced to do repetitive motions that already tear them apart.

    I got faster, though. Probably stronger too, but neither of them have talked to me so I haven''t had the chance to either hit a dummy or duel him again. I''m worried that if I try to swing at the house it''ll crumble with a single tap. Then we''ll all have to find another group of people to mooch off of.

    I half-expected the teacher to try and talk to me in some way, or maybe try to force me to talk to him. I had prepared myself to go hungry if he ever took away my food, and I had also made plans to run away if he ever tried to pin me down or hurt me in some other way. Maybe this is his way of trying to force me into conversation. He probably thinks that being anti-social is some horrible endgame for me and that I''d sooner hug Koyo than end up there.

    What''s even the point of staying here? What is there to learn from him? He hasn''t given me anything besides his long talks about how the answer to all my problems is inside of me. That isn''t an idea that I can do anything with. I can''t pull a sword swing out from inside of me. That is not a thing. I''d be better off running away and finding some nearby town. Whatever type of swordsmanship they teach is meaningless, all that matters is that they''ll have people who train with their swords, people who I can fight to see how much I''ve improved.

    The sun was setting again, and so I made my way inside just like usual. I propped my sword up on the wall right next to the door, shoved it into the ground so it didn''t fall over, and made my way into the house. Some dust from the nearby patch of flowers must''ve gotten in my eye, and I had been rubbing it all the way back from where I was swinging my sword around.

    By the time I got inside my right eye was beyond itchy, and I saw through my reflection that my eye had turned pink, with the surrounding swollen area a reddish-brown. I struggled to see fully with my right eye nearly forced shut, but I could catch Koyo dashing up the stairs while the teacher just sat by the door looking at me. Usually, he would go somewhere else in the room, avoiding making eye contact, but he was staring right at me today.

    At least he wasn''t going to force me to cough up some undeserved apology first.

    "Alena is going to be coming by tomorrow."

    I immediately turned towards him, my eyes must''ve looked weirdly wide open to him.

    "Karamazov? The Alena?"

    "Yes, the Alena. She said she wanted to come to invite the both of you to some dumb thing that she''s doing, so she''s coming by to see the both of you."

    "Alena Karamazov is coming by to see me? It''s not some con artist pretending to be her? This isn''t some trick that you''re playing?"

    "Have you gone deaf at the ripe old age of fifteen?"

    He clearly regretted what he had just said. He immediately flinched right after he said it and turned his head away from me.

    "So I''m the problem, not the person who-"

    "I don''t want to have this conversation. Not tonight."

    "When are we going to have it then? Are you just going to ignore the fact that-"

    "I don''t know, Erik. I can''t tell you when we''re going to have a conversation that might end in you storming out of the house and never coming back."

    "Who''s to say I won''t do that right now?"

    "Probably Alena."

    "Well at least you know well where you sit on my list of priorities."

    I stomped up the stairs and into my room, I heard him yell from where he was.

    "That didn''t sound cool you just sounded like a kid who just learned the word ''priorities''."

    "Fuck you!"

    I slammed the door so hard that the frame shook. I heard a crack, it was either the door or the wall supporting it. I threw myself onto my bed and forced myself asleep.

    When I woke up the next morning I waited until I heard two sets of footsteps go down the stairs. I didn''t know if he would try to ambush me with some new conversation as soon as I had opened my eyes, and I didn''t want to see Koyo''s face, not even the back of his head.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    I heard the door open and with it came an unfamiliar voice. It must be hers. I slowly opened my own door and walked down the hallway to the stairs without making a sound. I heard both the teacher and Koyo talking so I didn''t have to worry about either of them walking up behind me.

    I crouched right before the stairs so I could see if it actually was her standing at the door. I saw her entirely dark red outfit that matched her hair, that sword of hers that drove people insane because they said it wouldn''t work, the outfit that was made by the best armorer there ever was.

    I didn''t care about either of them, I ran down the stairs immediately, nearly tripping and falling face first on the floor as I got to the bottom step. Luckily I caught myself, but by the time I had fully stood up they were all staring at me. She was looking at me. I can''t believe she''s looking at me. She doesn''t look very impressed but that doesn''t really matter. I can''t believe it. I was frozen in place while she turned away from me to talk to the teacher.

    "This is the one you were talking about? The stubborn adolescent who does whatever he wants?"

    I glanced over at him, he was glaring back at her while she had a grin on her face, pointing at me. She was pointing at me. I was going to fall onto the floor.

    "Thank you for airing comments made in private letters to the people who they are written about."

    "I would be more inclined to not say anything if he was actually the monster you described him as. You said he was "whatever you think I am, but worse," that''s a pretty low bar."

    "I didn''t know you thought that lowly of me."

    "You absolutely know what I think about you. Anyway, do you want me to take him out for a trip or should I make my own plans seeing as how you apparently don''t understand children."

    "Why are you speaking like you''re a long-time parent?"

    "I''m not a long-time parent, you just don''t understand what emotional maturity is. Should''ve guessed."

    I could feel myself grinning from ear to ear. It was incredible to learn that my idol also disliked the people that I didn''t like. It was like she was saying everything that I was thinking, even more than that, she was saying things that I hadn''t thought of yet, but that I still agreed with. He was still glaring at her, but she wasn''t grinning as much anymore. When he spoke again she looked annoyed.

    "Yes, I still want you to take him."

    "Alright then."

    She turned to me.

    "You''re with me- Erik, was it?"

    She said my name. I can''t believe she actually said my name. Every part of me wanted to jump for joy but I feared that I''d only embarrass myself. No, she was probably the type to be happy when someone was honest about how they were feeling in the moment. Wait, no, that''s him, the teacher, and if she doesn''t like him then she wouldn''t like me jumping for joy. She''d still think it''s awkward and embarrassing.

    I fought through the urge to celebrate her saying my name and instead tried to deliver some sort of half-acknowledgment. I tilted my head downward a bit and snapped my fingers into pointing at her and-

    "Yeah."

    That was horrible. I had just embarrassed myself by trying not to embarrass myself. She knew I had just embarrassed myself, she was staring at me like I had just-

    "Then let''s get going."

    She just turned around and walked out the door. I had almost forgotten but the teacher and Koyo were still standing there watching this all happen. I shoo-d them away with my left hand before running out the door to catch up to Alena.

    I closed the door behind me and got up beside her. She had brought her carriage that was also the same color of her hair. I wouldn''t dare say that the color of her hair is bad but there must be a point where you shouldn''t make everything that you use the same color.

    As soon as we got into the carriage we started moving. She had sat right in front of me, so it would be awkward for me to avoid looking at her, she was looking at me anyways.

    "So, are you a fan of mine?"

    I couldn''t help but immediately respond.

    "Yes! I''ve been your fan for a-"

    I had started to speak too soon after I had swallowed my own spit and started to choke on it, when I finally stopped suffocating in front of the person who''s opinion I cared the most about, I decided that acting frantic wasn''t the right way to go about this.

    "Yeah, you''re cool."

    An awkward stare turned into a smile as she started lightly chuckling.

    "You''re funny. I never really understood having fans, nor really what I was supposed to do about them, but if I need to have fans then at the least I''m happy that it''s a child and not some random old man. I have a lot of old men that are "fans" of mine, it''s really not-"

    She paused for a second, she had been constantly hesitating and staring at me intently while speaking. Was she-

    "Are you nervous?"

    "Not really nervous, more like being careful about what I say around you. You''re still a child at the end of the day."

    I hate being treated like I''m some newborn.

    "Don''t give me that."

    "What? Did you get the confidence to speak that way just now-"

    "You think that I haven''t, what, heard a curse word before? Heard a dirty story, dirty things in general?"

    "You could''ve grown up in the slums of Alarthine for all I care and I still wouldn''t be comfortable speaking how I normally do around you. I only ever speak that way in front of a few people."

    "So you''re going to be like this the entire time that we''re on this ''trip''?"

    My fascination had turned into annoyance, I didn''t know that she would be like this to me just because I wasn''t an adult yet.

    "Listen, you don''t want me to speak how I normally do, okay? One conversation with me would leave you irrevocably mentally scarred."

    "That can''t be true."

    "It is. I''d send you back to that little cottage and you''d have to knock on the door and wait for someone to open it. You''d walk in with a cane and bandages wrapped around your head, and the worst part of all of this is that your teacher would probably say something pretentious like ''I saw this coming.''"

    She was grinning at me again, she had changed to responding in a joking manner, and that was enough for me to abandon whatever dislike I had just held for her.

 Interim (2)

    "I''m surprised you''re talking to me normally this quickly. When I first saw you in the house I thought I''d have to listen to you rant about how I saved your life when you were like five or something and just smile and nod."

    She had relaxed from her upright posture and was leaning back with her right leg up on her knee.

    "Can I still do that?"

    "Why would you do that?" She changed her glance and lowered her head a bit toward me. "I just said I didn''t want you to do that."

    "You didn''t say that."

    "I quite literally just said that."

    "You said that you''d have to, but you didn''t say that you didn''t want to."

    "If I am being forced to do something then naturally I wouldn''t want to do it."

    "I''m sometimes forced to do things that I want to do."

    "Wh- what? What does that even mean? How can you want to do something and then be forced to do it?"

    "Well maybe I forgot about doing the thing and then my teacher told me to do it."

    "That''s not being "forced" to do something you numbskull, you were reminded to do it."

    "For someone who''s supposed to be an icon of the needy you sure are acting like a noble."

    She paused for a second and looked at me. Her smile disappeared from her face, as had mine.

    "I''m inclined to believe that asshole may not have been fully lying about you. You really are able to change moods in a moment."

    "Did he only write insults about me in his letter to you?"

    "If this is a good sample of your behavior, would you be surprised if that was true?"

    "You''re really making me regret ever looking up to you right now."

    "I get that a lot. It must be hard to confront your uncontrollable temper when you''re right in the midst of it."

    My sword was leaned against the side of the carriage to my right. I quickly grabbed the handle tightly, she watched my hand closely as I did this. When she spoke again she was in the same position that she started in, with her hands right at her side.

    "I can understand very well that when you get emotional you tend to make poor choices. I am no stranger to rash actions, but if there is even a single rational part of you that can hear my voice I want you to question where you see yourself in the following moments if that blade moves in the slightest."

    My hand clutched my blade even tighter than before, my entire body was shaking as I stared at her, I was too busy thinking about my next move to process whatever she was trying to say. She was staring back at me, and while it seemed like she couldn''t do anything I knew that a single wrong movement would land me thrown right out of the carriage.

    I can''t go back to the house, and we''re out in the middle of nowhere, I don''t have any other options than to deal with her insults. I slowly let go of my sword and she brought her gaze away from my hand. She went back to looking at me as she brought her right leg onto her left knee again. I had to say something to break the silence.

    "I''m sorry."

    Not exactly what I would''ve said normally but it''ll probably work.

    "There''s nothing that you have to be sorry for. At least not at your age. Emotions drive people to war, so swinging your sword at me because of them would be no surprise."

    "You still do sound like a noble though."

    She scratched the back of her head while responding to me.

    "Well, I''ve had to spend the last several years around them. Eventually, you realize that it''s not worth the trouble to retain the mannerisms you picked up during your time living nomadically. You''ll give some things up someday."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    "That doesn''t sound right. Why do I have to give stuff up?"

    "The way that everyone always talks about it is as though it''s some sort of ritual of becoming an adult, some significant event in your maturation. I disagree with this, though."

    "So you think that I don''t have to give things up when I become an adult?"

    "I think that''s the wrong way to look at it. When I decided to change my etiquette so I could blend in with the crowds of nobles that would surround me and ask for favors, ask for my help in clearing out an area of the Aerdal forest for their new mansion, or simply try to make small talk, I didn''t do that because I was really being forced to."

    She looked out the carriage window at the passing landscape.

    "We have a lot of beliefs that change as we get older. That''s obvious, but some beliefs we like to stubbornly hold onto. Some experience that we''ve had is usually the reason why, whatever happened was so crucial that it''s impossible to ignore no matter how long you wait."

    She uncrossed her legs and moved closer to the window, probably to look at whatever was outside it. I wanted to see whatever she was looking at so I did the same.

    "You realize when you get into certain places that the views you had were wrong. Maybe even to the point that the past you would scorn whoever you currently are and the opinions that you hold. It seems so impossible to do these things and then you get to that point and it''s just a simple change. Maybe it''s not even a change to you, you just find that you''re doing it."

    "That just sounds like what becoming an adult should be."

    She turned back to me and smiled.

    "I couldn''t agree more. I think that there''s this lesson we ought to stop teaching that there is some uncrossable line into adulthood, some major shift that you''ll notice. If someone hadn''t come along and told me that I''d changed I would still think myself the same girl that marched out of a lecture because the professor said that a commoner could never be as smart as a noble."

    "You''re from Ostantov, right?"

    "If you know the name of my nation then you must be from the east side of Bretsnigel."

    "Have you ever worked under their king?"

    "I was not responsible for the invasion of your country, since that''s probably where this line of questioning is going. I didn''t help them either."

    "Did you fight against them?"

    "I''m sure if I wasn''t halfway across the continent during that time I would''ve."

    "Well, aren''t you lucky?"

    "You don''t sound as menacing as you think you do right now, you''re too young for this kind of thing."

    My hand was nearing my blade which was still perched on the side of the carriage. She wasn''t watching my hand this time but instead chose to still stare at me.

    "Hey, instead of me having to talk you off of a self-imposed cliff, how about we skip the theatrics and get back to you begrudgingly talking to me."

    I still had no idea how I''d find a way to both hit her and escape without a hole in my chest. I moved my hand back to my side yet again. At least she wasn''t grinning like he would every time I chose not to smack him clean across the face.

    "I''m going to be keeping count of how many times you think about trying to fight me, and you''ll find out what I''m going to use that number for later. All I can tell you is that you''ll either lose your short fuse or regret not losing it."

    She paused for a second and looked baffled.

    "Sorry, I fell victim to talking like I''m giving a speech. The point is that you should probably try to control yourself better for however long we''ll still be in this carriage, otherwise, you''ll be punished for it in some unforeseeable way."

    For a while after I didn''t talk to her at all. I was thinking about all the separate ways an argument could go, whether it erupted into a screaming match between me and her or whether I finally decided to ignore her threats and pick up my sword. I was just staring out the window thinking about the various ways I can get back at her for insulting me.

    She was staring out the window as well looking at something that wasn''t there. Every time she would move over, I would try to catch a glance of whatever she was seeing, but there was nothing but a changing landscape of grass, trees, and an absence of wildlife that was surprising for a road that stretched this far into the countryside.

    I hadn''t seen a single house for a while and yet there wasn''t a single beast in sight either. I can''t even remember any birds swooping down near the carriage. Were we in some sort of special area, some secluded space? I didn''t remember passing through any gates, so there can''t be anything that is keeping beasts out of these large fields and forests.

    "If he were here right now, I wonder if you''d be more upset with me or him." She suddenly spoke again after what felt like eternal silence.

    "You''re not that bad."

    "Fair. I did give you a pretty low bar."

    I had to think about what she was saying before I spoke again.

    "Aren''t you his friend or something?"

    "Something like that."

    "Then why don''t you like him?"

    "I can find my friends annoying. All of my friends are annoying in their own way."

    "I guess. He''s probably the most annoying of your friends though, isn''t he?"

    "Absolutely. It''s not even a question."

    "You''re confusing me."

    "Listen, I''ve known him for a while, and I''m close to him, but that doesn''t mean that I don''t see him for the insufferable prick that he truly is. I mean I can only assume you were happy that I was taking you away both because well, I''m me, and also because you''d get to spend some time away from his stupid face."

    "His face?"

    "If you haven''t come to hate the way he looks then you don''t know the worst of it. Every single time he does something idiotic he always has this look on his face that perfectly makes the situation worse. That look changes, but he nails making the expression that screws things up the most every single time."

    I couldn''t help but start laughing, I couldn''t point to it but something about the way she was describing him was so hilarious because it was spot on.

    She spouted off more exaggerated insults and before I knew it I had completely forgotten about the fantasies of arguments in my head that I had won, about the sword fights I would best her in.

    Just like that, she reminded me of why I admired her.

 Interim (3)

    We talked more about the various poor experiences we had with the teacher, and she told me all about what he was like a decade ago.

    "He probably hasn''t changed at all since back then. Maybe it''s hard for me to tell, we all didn''t really like him so don''t take my word for it."

    "I don''t like him either."

    "Then I suppose there''s no objectivity involved."

    "Does anybody like him at all?"

    "Somehow. You would vomit the same way I did if you witnessed how those noble women act like bitches in heat around him. I can''t tell if any of them really like him, but they''re always swooning over his every move. He''d pour a glass of water and one of them would faint."

    "Are they trying to get close to him or something?"

    "That''s without a doubt. It''s not like he was without his benefits. Everyone in that party had ''benefits.'' I received my fair share of suitors who loved to attempt to bedazzle me with their extended grammar. They phrased sentences like they were poets, half the time I expected that they''d burst into a serenade. Out of all of the party members though, people thought that he was the best-looking."

    "That''s stupid."

    "Well, anyone who knows him thinks that he''s unquestionably unattractive, but of course, a strong adventurer dressed up in noble clothes must appear an exotic good to the dames and damsels of every empire we visited. It was as though his presence was some aphrodisiac that operated only on the idiotic and perplexed. I heard one of them describe in great detail how his opening of a door was enough for her to envision intercourse with him. One of the few conversations I absolutely regret eavesdropping on."

    "That''s disgusting."

    "You were the one who nearly threw a fit when I wouldn''t include every single detail, I knew you were immature but I didn''t know you were a hypocrite."

    She paused for a second and looked at me, not in any sort of threatening way but more like she was upset by whatever I was doing. She spoke again but not in a different tone of voice.

    "I can already hear you breathing heavily. If you''re ever going to grow up, or even begin to, you''ll really have to learn how to handle being insulted. I can not count the amount of times that my adolescence spent in the slums of Chreinelov has been the butt of a joke told at the very table I happened to be sitting at. They even glanced over at me after telling the joke, as if they were hoping for my approval while they painted me some beast to be pointed and laughed at me."

    "Why wouldn''t you just kill them all right there? No empire could dream of defeating <i>Tilapia</i>, and I''m sure even the teacher would understand getting mad over someone insulting your childhood."

    "You''re right, they would''ve. At any moment, any of us could''ve responded in kind to the constant passive aggression and playful insults that were repeated wherever we went, and we would''ve been able to topple whichever empire elected to stand against us."

    "Then why wouldn''t you?"

    She paused again, and she gave me a gentle smile. She squinted her eyes a bit and I thought I saw a tear or two, but the solid color of everything but her skin might''ve been driving me insane.

    "One thing that would leave me with nothing but rage would be whenever someone older than me would refuse to answer a question. Maybe I''d think of it in a moment, or maybe it was some deep inquisition that had been accumulating for a year, and the person who this question was aimed at would neglect to provide any sort of response. This was agitating beyond any belief for me, and even to this day, I cannot say that I''ve left the anger I felt at them behind. They would always preface their non-answer with some justification, some irrelevant rationale for why they wouldn''t give me what I was asking for."

    She looked at the window, and I could''ve sworn that I saw tears rolling down her cheek, but when I blinked they''d disappear; fade into the dark red enclosure.

    "Looking at you, however, maybe I can begin to grasp how they felt when they gave me a line that would be engraved as the object of pure hatred. It must''ve been easier from their end to deliver such a line if I looked like you do now."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "What is that line?"

    "You''ll understand when you''re older."

    I stared at her with a glare of disappointment while she chuckled to herself for a while, sometimes going into full laughter. Every time she would look back at my face she would continue laughing, and I did not break my expression.

    After she stopped, we exchanged more stories of the teacher, and she told me all about how he almost ran away from the party because of this one princess. Apparently they had to sneak into his room the night before he was supposed to meet her at the alter. When he met the princess again, she had married another man and pretended not to recognize him.

    After what must''ve been days inside that damn carriage we had finally arrived at whatever place she was supposed to bring me to. She opened the door and got out first, and I followed her into an unknown area far from the house.

    We had arrived at a large open field of yellow flowers, and a square of short grass that seemed oddly separated from it. It was as though the area was specifically made this way, like someone just chose a part of this field to chop all the flowers from and leave without a single spot of yellow. There wasn''t any overgrowth of the flowers into this perfectly square portion of it.

    She didn''t say a word as I followed her into the middle of this little thing, and when we got to the middle she stopped and swiftly turned around to face me.

    "When he asked me to take you out here, what he believed is that I would abuse our shared experiences to teach you some sort of lesson that you''d take with you, and that this manipulation would lead to an improvement in your behavior for the remainder of the time you will stay at that house."

    She took out her blade from some unknown area, I hadn''t seen it for the entire ride her but I now saw it, in its entirety.

    It was just as the teacher had described, its appearance was strange to the point that it almost was <i>asking</i> you to laugh at it. It didn''t really look like a lance like he had said though. The base of the sword doubled as its hilt, and it left me unable to see the handle. I had heard of swords like that in Articulago, but usually it was just the hilt and not the sword itself that covered the handle. The sword curved in immediately into what must''ve been three feet of a tiny little circle that turned into a sharp point, and there was a little <i>error</i> in the middle? It didn''t seem like an error, I don''t think she would keep the sword if it had an error like that. I understood the oddness of the blade now, even more than the way he described it.

    She took out a random piece of meat that she must''ve stolen from the house when we were there, I don''t know, a week ago? She threw it up in the air and stabbed it with her sword. It pierced right through it, but instead of the piece of meat just sliding down her sword, it broke into pieces. The meat just fell to the ground, one piece split into about eight and she was just staring at me, waiting for me to say something.

    "How did you-"

    "Shhh."

    So she wasn''t waiting for me to say something?

    "The meat isn''t for you, nor am I wasting it just to prove that I can stab something with minimal effort and split it into several pieces, though your praise is pre-emptively accepted with grace. Hold your words momentarily."

    We just stood there in complete silence, I was staring at her and she was staring at whatever was behind me. Not even a short while passed before I heard the cry of a fully grown eikmar scrambling through the land behind me to get to its food. I turned around and held my blade tightly waiting for it to appear so I could avoid getting trampled by it.

    She didn''t move at all. She stood there gripping her sword and stared down the eikmar as it ran at full speed toward her. The ground shook and I watched in disbelief as she refused to even flinch. I was shaking with every step, I struggled just to keep my balance.

    She stuck her sword into the ground as the beast was nearing her, and she got into a fighting stance. The beast was lowering its head, it was preparing to headbutt her into the mountains that laid on the horizon. I saw her take a deep breath, and bring her fist back behind her. Right as she was about to get thrown farther away than I could see, she threw a punch at the beast.

    A sound that could probably be heard back at the house came from her hit, and along with it came the cry of the eikmar, who was now bleeding from every part of its head. The amount of blood was so large that it immediately formed its own little pool as it got thrown away.

    In the brief moment I could see it, there was a large crack in the beast''s head, and a fair amount of its teeth had fallen out with the punch. The beast itself got thrown back from where it came, and I watched it fly what must''ve been a thousand feet away.

    I turned back to her and she was actually looking at me this time.

    "Instead of attacking you myself, which probably would''ve worked but wouldn''t be as fun to experience, I''m going to have you fight a wounded eikmar."

    "That thing is like ten times my size!"

    "Yeah."

    "What are you going to do if I die?"

    "Fake some tears at your funeral."

    "Are you making fun of me or something? Are you going to step in at the last second and save me? Is this supposed to be the lesson? That you''re stronger than me? I''ll stop! I won''t get mad at you anymore!"

    "Over the course of the ride here, you nearly made the idiotic decision to attempt an attack eight times. You need to land exactly eight hits on the eikmar now running back our way. On the eighth hit, if the eikmar is not dead, or if it has died before the eighth hit, I will leave you here to find your own way back the house, or to find whatever future you fantasize about when you''re mad at him."

    I stared at her without saying a word as I heard the stomps of the eikmar get louder.

    She wasn''t joking at all.

 Interim (4)

    I had only moments before the beast would be right before me, and I would be the one thrown into the mountains on the horizon. She was standing there, unflinching. I should''ve known she would do something like this, I ignored her because she sounded like some character from a fairy tale. Maybe that''s what she''s made herself.

    I stared at her in disbelief, hoping that she would come to save me at the last second, hoping that she would dive in and reveal that this was all some prank, all some sort of lesson that I needed to be taught about how I should never trust people or something like that. She didn''t give me any signs that she was going to intervene, instead, she just turned around and started walking away slowly.

    It became clear that all she would do when I''m ripped in half by the eikmar is laugh until she could no longer stand. I picked my blade up from it''s little spot in the ground and held it in the direction of the eikmar. What would I do?

    The eikmar was running straight at me, which meant that I could probably hit it in the jaw when it got close enough. I can''t knock it out in one hit though, which means that the hit needs to be light. The skull of the beast is already injured though, so if I hit it light enough to not knock it out it''ll just keep running at me and I''ll be flattened on the side of whatever mountain it knocks me into.

    How can I hit it several times without knocking it out or getting slaughtered? I didn''t have much time to come up with a solution, the eikmar was almost past the vast field of flowers and into the little area of grass and soon it would be right in front of me.

    I can''t use my sword. If I use my sword in any way then I''ll definitely kill it in one hit. I have to use my powers. I haven''t practiced at all! It doesn''t matter- but I could fail. I fail either way. There doesn''t seem to be a way to actually win, if only I hadn''t gotten mad at her. She manipulated me. She tricked me, she knew that I get mad when insulted and so she kept doing it, she knew that it''d happen at least more than one time which means that she knew she''d end up forcing me to do this.

    Why was she doing this? What reason did she have? I thought she hated him. I thought she didn''t like him in the same way that I didn''t like him. Was she just lying to me? Did the letter he sent to her actually ask her to have me killed, or at least taken someplace where I would never be found?

    Think, think! What can I do? The only thing that I''ve been able to do is make these pillars of rock come out of the ground, and even then I''ve only been able to do it vertically. If I wanted to hit this thing eight times, with eight pillars, I wouldn''t be able to do it if they were just coming straight up from the ground. I can''t control them either, they all just rise quickly, which means that if even one comes up from under the beast it''ll either do nothing or send it flying. Neither of those help me.

    I needed to arrange them so they were slanted, so they were diagonal. Four on each side, spread evenly. If I hit the beast from one side only, it''s the same situation of either doing nothing or ending it before eight hits. I needed to hit it from both sides at the same time. I have too many things that I need to do that I haven''t even thought of before, much less practiced.

    Why was she making me do this? Was she really waiting for the last moment? It doesn''t even matter. Even if she does dive in to save me she''ll just be disappointed, she''ll look at me with pity and think about how some other child that she met could beat a fully grown eikmar with ease. She''d take me back to the cottage and tell the teacher that he was right about me, and I''d have to sit in that house every day thinking about how I blew the one chance that I had to leave a good impression on the reason I chose to not throw myself off the city walls.

    It doesn''t matter. Thinking about this doesn''t matter. If I don''t do anything, I''ll die or I''ll want to die. It doesn''t matter.

    Three pillars from each side, placed where it will be in the time it takes for them to reach its body. Where will it be in those moments? If I''m off by even a bit, it''s over for me. I need to get this absolutely right.

    Three pillars. One near the neck, one in the middle, and one near the tail. Left and right, same position. Close to the eikmar, I have only a moment left, they must emerge quicker than it can send me flying. Three of them. Six of them. Three on each side. Three. Two. One.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    All of them emerged at the same time and jutted toward the beast. Had I got something wrong? It doesn''t matter. I''m in the middle of the motion, I need to complete it. I brought my hands together and with the the pillars dug into the eikmar. I held them together as hard as I could, my eyes were closed but I could hear the beast squirming, trying with all its might to break free. I heard its scream, I may go deaf.

    After the tension stopped, I brought two more pillars forward, both of them larger than the other ones. They both were aimed at the beast''s head, and just like before I had swiftly brought my hands together, with the pillars following my lead. What followed then was a splatter of beast blood all over me, and when I was able to open my eyes again and the pillars had been released, I saw the husk of an eikmar without a head fall on its side, only to never move again.

    When I looked to my left, I saw that she was standing almost right next to me, with her blade prepared at her slide.

    So she was coming to save me.

    I fell backwards into a deep sleep, and even as my head slammed into the ground I could not care about the pain I felt, I could not care about anything.

    When I woke up I was back in the carriage, and my clothes had fully dried though they had been stained a dark purple from the blood of the eikmar. I sat up and did not see her sitting in front of me. My body was not in pain but my head was spinning. I brought my hand to my mouth and felt blood on my lips. I saw a bit of my reflection in the mirror and saw that I was bleeding from my nose.

    I wiped the blood off my nose and ignored it as I brought myself to stand up and walk out of the carriage. I was incredibly dizzy, and right when I opened the doors I fell facefirst onto the ground. Somehow I caught myself before falling asleep again, and when I brought my head up I saw her staring at the beast. I barely managed to bring myself to my feet and limped over to where she was.

    When I got close to her she turned around, and I tripped over my own feet. Just as I was about to fall to the ground for the third time she caught me in her arms and made sure I was sat down gently on the ground so I wouldn''t fall over again. I looked up at her and she was just staring at me. The sun was right behind her head so I couldn''t see what kind of face she was making but I knew that she was staring at me.

    "That was two hits, was it not?"

    I struggled through the urge to fall asleep again just to respond with a few words.

    "Eight pillars. Eight hits."

    I had to hold myself up with my elbows now. She sighed before speaking again.

    "You''re crazy.  I was going to take the opportunity to show off how I could wait until the very last moment and still save you from unquestionable death, and use that moment to teach you some sort of lesson, but you ended up teaching me one. That just doesn''t seem right."

    "I taught you a lesson?"

    "Maybe ''lesson'' is the wrong word. You certainly removed any doubts I had held about your abilities."

    "You didn''t think I could do it?"

    "There is no sane man across the entire continent who would look at a stubborn adolescent and believe even in the slightest that said adolescent would be able to hold his own against an adult eikmar."

    "Why''d you say all that stuff about how I''d regret getting mad at you."

    "Did I really seem that cruel?"

    "You still sound like a noble."

    My voice was getting quieter with each sentence, words were being replaced with air slowly but surely. She looked at me and shook her head, I still couldn''t see her face.

    "Now''s the time where I extend my sincere apology to you."

    "What did I just say?"

    She paused and spoke again differently.

    "Alright, kid. I''m sorry for gettin'' you into that. I expected that you''d freeze, or something else would ''appen and you''d just end up being saved by me. If I''d even known that you were half-capable of taking that thing down I would''ve never put you in a situation like that."

    "Why not? I took it down, didn''t I?"

    I flashed a smile at her, but I could tell she wasn''t doing the same for me.

    "Look at ya, kid. You overworked yourself, and now I don''t know how long you''ll be out of commission. How am I gonna return ya to him?"

    Something sounded off. It sounded like-

    "You''re forcing yourself to speak that way, aren''t you?"

    She didn''t respond, and instead just stared at me for a bit, we both waited there in silence staring at each other.

    "You''re right."

    "Why won''t you just speak normally to me? Haven''t I earned it?"

    She didn''t respond again. The sun had moved a bit and when I saw her face again she was sort of smiling. She wasn''t happy, this wasn''t some good reaction to what I said, more like she was smiling because she had to. Once again I swore I saw tears in her eyes, but every time I blinked they''d be gone.

    "Some annoying asshole once told me that no matter how close you think you are to someone, there will always be a situation that will lead them to break your trust. Unfortunately, some part of me I''m unable to kill still believes him."

    She started walking toward me, picked me up and carried me like I was some princess. I saw her face. There were no tears, but she had that same odd smile.

    "Now, let''s get back to bastards one and two, shall we?

 Waiting!

    <i>I once had poor expectations, but the future cast them off, accompanied by ill effect. Yet here I sit, at the end of all that is and I wish the future still kept me in its mind. The towers have fallen, the castles reduced to rubble, and this figure of all that is ideal, all that is perfect lies wounded no more than a moment away. A perfect life of millennia passed and then a decision was made to flaunt such an existence to the ones that have only known suffering, the ones that have only known defeat and betrayal at every end. Audacity must be commonplace for a figure such as he, a being so divine, for he has never known impediment. He has never been graced with the concept of loss.</i>

    <i>Yet I am no better, for I grasp at a seat above his own, to cast my glance down at this figure who I wished to see below me and yet through my nature I have rendered us equal. How can I retain this anger? How dare I share the audacity for which I deliver these scathing remarks? I am no better, and perhaps I never was. Perhaps his audacity was merely an illusion of my mind, and I have fulfilled my role as a lesser existence. A gamble poorly spent for him, and I thought myself a saint. I pioneered an empire of truth, I fought away all that could serve even the slightest harm and I sit with him nearly buried in the rubble.</i>Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    <i>As the towers crumble, my efforts are revealed in their truest form. The screams and cheers of those I sacrificed everything for, no, those who I sacrificed at every opportunity form a melody in my own mind, they soothe my worries and provide me a solution, and end to it all. There was never a moment, never a part of ignorance, never a time where I was unbeknownst to my own intentions. I stood atop him so I could find a better view and yet we have both sunk to the lowest depths this plane can envision. He, with dastardly naivete, allowed me the hypnotizing relief of affirmation, and I with righteous cruelty responded in what I believed to be kind.</i>

    <i>I dragged the husk of my whole existence, the ideals I had built from the rebellion against my father, the days of torture and force beyond compare, and the speck of bone and flesh one could call my body over to his. I positioned myself to undergo one last act of cruelty, one last service for these people.</i>

    <i>A meal so delectable, truly beyond this plane and the next.</i>

    - The Second

 Interim (5)

    Back in the carriage once more, and we''re just sitting here doing nothing, not talking, not staring out the window. I''m trying my hardest to sit up straight and not fall straight forward onto her, a while of this led her to eventually do something instead of just sitting there looking at me. She got up from her side of the carriage and sat down next to me.

    We were both sitting there awkwardly until she finally said something.

    "Are you going to lean on my shoulder or continue straining yourself trying to sit upright?"

    I didn''t know that was why she moved over here. I thought we were about to have some sort of extremely secret conversation that, I don''t know, couldn''t be said across the carriage. Maybe she was handing me something in secret as congratulations for defeating the eikmar, I don''t really know.

    I sat there awkwardly, I know she just asked me to lean on her shoulder but I''m not sure if I can actually do it. This is Alena Karamazov after all, I can''t just lean on her shoulder, someone would find out and kill me for it. Maybe this was a test and she would kill me for it, the Alena that I knew would constantly test people to see if they could be trusted, to see what kind of person they really were, so this could easily be one of those.

    We sat there again for a bit not saying anything, I was still struggling to keep myself upright and she was just sitting there not saying a word, though I could tell she was glancing at me. This must be some sort of test, I''ve confirmed it now. I was close to giving up though, as the pain came back after a relentless effort to stop myself from falling forward onto a now-moved Alena. She spoke up again.

    "I''m not testing you, I''m staring at you wondering whether you''re going to harm yourself before just leaning on my damn shoulder."

    I slowly lowered myself to my right down onto her shoulder. A shock shot through my body the moment my head made contact with her shoulder, and even while I was sort of leaning on her I was still refusing to put the full weight of my head on her shoulder. I was still shaking and she clearly noticed, so eventually she took her right hand and pushed my head fully onto her shoulder before speaking again.

    "There, now will you stop moving?"

    I was leaning on Alena Karamazov''s shoulder. Some random orphan who happened to end up at the house of someone who is close to her is now leaning on her shoulder, undeservedly, and she isn''t even doing anything. She isn''t making some comment about the eikmar, or talking to me about the teacher or Koyo, or telling me some sort of story, she''s just sitting there with me, letting me lie on her shoulder without any sort of catch, any sort of lesson that she''s trying to teach me.

    What did I do? I know the eikmar thing was impressive but I thought maybe I''d get some sort of weapon, maybe she''d teach me some new technique or tell me more about my powers. In a dream scenario, far beyond what I would even expect maybe she''d take me away from the house I''m in, take me to wherever she stays, and then she would become my teacher instead of the person that I''m stuck with.

    Why would she do this? Has she ever done this for anyone? Has this kind of thing happened before? I don''t think she''s taken lots of kids on carriage rides so she can teach them a lesson by acting like she''s going to let an eikmar lethally headbutt them.

    I was sitting there, still trying to understand what was going on and she was sitting there not saying a thing but it was for a different reason, she was doing this on purpose. She wasn''t frozen in thought, she just made a choice to let me lean on her shoulder and I was the only one who didn''t understand whatever was going on.

    I could feel my face burning up and I started shaking again, I was afraid that something was going to happen to ruin this, or that I had already ruined it. She spoke once more.

    "If you don''t lose the blush I will just shove you onto the other side of the carriage and let you hurt yourself."

    "It''s hard not to-"

    "I am more than twice your age, if you did this to any other woman older than you you''d find yourself in an unfortunate situation for a teenage boy."

    "What? Are you saying I would be in a relationship with an old hag?"

    "Are you calling me an old hag?"

    "No- I- you said- any other woman."

    "You''re forgiven, however, you do need to lose the blush, you''re going to make me uncomfortable during a favor I''m giving you for your feat."

    "So you are doing this because of the eikmar?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "Well, it''d certainly be rough to watch you battle your own body just to sit up straight after facing a beast that I led straight to you."

    "Are you saying this is your fault?"

    "No. Do not jump to conclusions, if you hadn''t just proved yourself to be extraordinarily capable I would be contemplating the consequences of chopping off your head currently."

    "I''m sorry."

    "You''re forgiven again. While we''re sitting here why don''t we talk about what you''re going to do when we get back."

    I let out a sigh that was far too loud and had to quickly follow it up with some sort of clarification.

    "Do we have to? I think nearly getting killed by the eikmar is better than talking about the two people I nearly got killed just to avoid."

    "I will not be taking you away from them, and frankly you''ll end up worse off if you don''t confront them about whatever it is you are so upset about."

    "If you''re actually close to my teacher then you must know what I''m upset about."

    I couldn''t see her face, but I knew she was coming up with a response as we sat silently after my remark, she didn''t take too long though.

    "I believe that you know what you want to do, and that there is some other factor preventing you from doing that. Perhaps you believe in the idea that you shouldn''t trust your first instincts. While that concept does not seem like one that you would support, in the case that this is said reason, often in a world of lies you will find that your first instinct is the one you should trust. Any further questioning would only leave you susceptible to the falsehoods and deceit present wherever you go."

    "My first instinct has constantly been proven wrong. I''ve fought him with instinct and received nothing but beatings, I''ve tried to argue with the teacher and ended up with some sort of lecture, even my first instinct to cut down a tree led to me nearly getting crushed, and crushing that bastard in the process."

    "The tree that you cut down led to you understanding what you do now, that ''mistake'' is what will undoubtedly lead you down the right path, is it not?"

    That''s a good point. If I didn''t nearly crush the both of us, who knows how long I''d be waiting until I found out? She spoke before I had the chance to.

    "Your first instinct was undoubtedly to leave it all behind, and I cannot claim that I would not do the same thing. With people like them, you aren''t free to hand out second chances, you''re only risking never having the chance yourself to escape the prison that they try to put you in. They tell you lies and they justify their own actions without reprieve, they will undoubtedly let the world burn before telling the whole truth, about themselves, about their actions, if you asked them what the weather was on a sunny day they''d tell you it''s raining."

    She was looking straight at the other side of the carriage while telling me this. The seat, the wall, the floor, even the part of the window on that side all blended together.

    "You can certainly survive on your own, you''ve proven that just now. When he wrote me asking for me to reign you in I knew that you had found out something that would entail your departure, but I would never think it plausible that you could simply walk away and survive the following years alone. I planned to lend you some inspiration so you would find the strength to make that choice, but you drove a wedge straight through that, didn''t you?"

    "Were you always going to help me?"

    "Oh, there was never a doubt. If he was complaining about a child to me then I knew I had to do everything I could without any unnecessary conflict to snatch the child from his grasp. His influence is likely the worst that this world can offer, and that statement will remain true even if we explore every crevice of this plane. You have that ability though, and so now I must try my best to convince you that escape is the only option which leaves you with a life left for you to live."

    "What if there''s a reason? Everyone hides things. I hide things, should they throw me into the countryside because I don''t tell them the whole truth."

    "Everyone has a reason, a justification for their own actions. Even if they don''t have one in the moment they will in due time, because the person who we are meant to understand most is nobody but ourselves, and it is a hard truth to confront that we may be the individual who we know the least. We will pretend to understand the truth behind our actions even if we do not because it is far more frightening to understand that we understand nothing than to convince yourself of a lie that unburdens you from that truth."

    "I do things that I don''t understand, so why is it hard for an adult? Aren''t you supposed to get smarter as you get older?"

    "Comparisons of children and adults have always been viewed in that light. We are meant to believe that there is inherent superiority in regard to a disparity in age, and perhaps this is true, but if it is we have undoubtedly misjudged that superiority. We set the line too soon, and forced the happy to embrace the inevitable sadness of the world, we asked them to understand the truth in its entirety and were given only what we asked for, a collection of individuals who had the truth and could not do anything useful with it."

    She positioned my head on the cushion behind me and moved over to the other side of the carriage right in front of me.

    "We were falsely led into believing that understanding is an equivalent to happiness and fulfillment, and at the end of this enlightenment, all we were left with was information and a plague to our minds preventing the advantages of our childlike innocence from surfacing ever again. We are no longer able to make the right choices, we are no longer able to see the world as it truly is."

    She looked at the window instead of at me before delivering her next line.

    "The most despicable lie ever told is that you should look forward to adulthood. The old and bitter would sacrifice the futures of others rather than suffer in solitude, presuming solidarity as their only chance at the happiness they once felt."

    She looked back at me.

    "The lesson most repeated to me as an adolescent was that I should never trust my first instinct, and that instead I should analyze every situation intensely before coming to a decision. I was taught to associate haste with failure, to never trust the purest representation of my actual thoughts and instead use a system devised by a rotting corpse. Erik,"

    She briefly paused before continuing.

    "Do you understand what you must do?"

    I nodded my head, and we sat in silence for the rest of the ride back to the cottage.

 Press

    Today is the last day I''ll have spent in this cottage.

    What has now become nearly exactly two years wasted with the manifestations of all the evil this world can think of will finally come to an end, and my freedom will be returned to me after it was removed hundreds of days prior.

    I had been packing my things in secret ever since I came back from the trip with Karamazov, I had gotten a bundle full of food that would last me long enough to find some lifestyle to support me until I went to whatever school she wanted me to attend.

    I still have the slip of paper she handed me when we came back to the house, but it feels meaningless since she gave one to Koyo as well. She was talking about how I needed to escape him, so why would she then go and make sure he''ll be in the same place as me in the future?

    Maybe she''s doing it to avoid suspicion from the teacher. If he did actually write to her asking for her to "fix" me, then he would probably take action if he knew that she had told me to leave the house and survive on my own. She didn''t give me any details about what I should do, just that she trusted me. It sounded like an excuse so she didn''t have to make sure I wouldn''t get myself killed.

    The sun was about to set, and I laid on my bed in wait for Koyo to enter his room. The teacher liked to sit in the living room talking to himself, so he wouldn''t notice if I snuck out the window, which was my current plan. Unless I broke a bone on the way down, there was no way he could hear me. He told me once how he made sure that no sound could come in or out of the house because he had trouble sleeping when there were noises, something about how he was afraid of the dark.

    The red sun once again painted the entire room its color, and I stared out the window at the fields where I would fight Koyo every day. I wonder how much of my blood has been absorbed by the soil. I wonder how many flowers we''ve stomped on while he taunted me for not being able to hit him. I wonder how many times I thought about what would happen if I just killed him in his sleep.

    Someone like him deserves a fate worse than death, that''s too easy. It''s a way out to just pass away and not live to see the consequences of your horrible actions, and I''d much rather wait ten years to walk in on him battered and beaten in a jail cell after he tried to do what he does here anywhere on this content. The realization of how truly horrible he is will harm him far more than any cruel way I could imagine to deliver him a painful death.

    In my perfect future, he drives himself insane. Thinking himself eternally correct, he will come to be proven wrong at every end, and will slowly start to crack when forced to confront the fact that he has existed in a bubble of a man who so happens to be the most powerful in this world supporting his delusions. What if the teacher knew what he was doing? That would be even more perfect, for him to realize that he has been completely manipulated into a fate that is undoubtedly the worst for him.

    I hope that after years of suffering, years of consistently acting as though he is the smartest in the room, and that act landing him beaten, maimed, and dejected by every single person he will ever meet. I hope that the entire world will look at him with disgust and that children will spit at him as he crawls by, his entire body reduced to a meaningless husk.

    He will come to hate himself as I hate him, he will come to understand that his life is nothing but a waste to the world, that in no time will he be anything but an issue for every single thing on this planet. I hope that when he ties a rope around the ceiling of whatever cell he''s confined in, and when he makes the one choice he will ever make to help this world he does so in agony.

    I will not wait for his rest and end his life myself, it is not my place to deliver this horrible fate to him, however, I must live to witness it. I will see how he looks when witnessing what the suffering he tries so hard to imitate truly is, and I''ll find it hard to hold back my laughter as he cries to be put out of his misery.

    The sun finally dipped under the trees on the horizon and I took the opportunity to jump out of the window in my room and onto the fields I would walk through for the last time. Maybe I''d come back here if this is the place where Koyo would kill himself, but that would be the only real reason.

    As I walked through the trees I noticed that the forest was strangely silent. Usually, you''d hear the loud insects use their time when no human was there to burn them to chirp or hum, or you''d maybe be interrupted by the howling of whatever wolf-like beast decided to hunt that night, but the only sound that came with me was the occasional stick broken, or the shifting of the dirt underneath me.

    It was too quiet, I knew it was too quiet, and my suspicions that there was some sort of plan, some sort of thing going on that I didn''t know about until it was too late. I walked into a sort of open area there shouldn''t be right in the middle of a dense forest to find that the bastard I''d hoped to only see again with a rope around his neck standing in front of me with his sword drawn. I can''t believe I have to listen to his voice again.

    "What are you doing, Erik?"

    "Stop asking those kinds of questions I am so clearly trying to leave you and your little pet behind at that damn cottage."

    "It was rhetorica-"

    "Yes, I know it was rhetor-whatever the fuck. An excuse for you to continue to be an asshole while you''re here presumably to try and convince me to not run as far away as I can."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "I was actually here to get back the food you stole."

    I sighed and shook my head at him. "I am amazed that every single time I think "yeah he''s bad, but there''s probably worse" you go on to become exactly what "worse" is. Couldn''t even pretend to be here for me?"

    "I thought you didn''t like liars."

    Who the hell had told him?

    "So you know why I''m leaving."

    "Y''know, you make a good point. I could just take the food back from you and let you rough it until we meet again, but how about I just take you back to the house after beating the shit out of you again and you can whine all about how I''m being unfair."

    "I thought you didn''t like roasted eikmar."

    "You shouldn''t do this, Erik."

    "Stop saying my name. You don''t get to say my name after making me lose confidence in myself. All you had to do was tell me the truth at any time and we wouldn''t be here right now. Maybe if you dropped the act of an obnoxious noble who thinks he knows everything about the world we could be training for whatever school Karamazov wants us to go to."

    "You call her ''Karamazov''?"

    "Are you dumb or deaf?"

    "You''re really fun, you know that? Maybe it doesn''t seem that way to you because you keep losing, but you are a really fun person. I think if we switched places you''d think the same thing."

    "If we switched places I''d slit my own throat."

    "Always exaggerating too. A lot of people like to sugarcoat things, they tell these little lies that they think don''t matter much because they''re afraid of being honest. You aren''t afraid of honesty, you constantly say what you''re thinking, I think you''ll continue to do that even if it gets you killed."

    "Why''d you keep it a secret?"

    "I just talked about how you didn''t sugarcoat things and now you''re going to be touchy about the thing you''re actually upset about?"

    "Why''d you hide your fucking POWERS Koyo?"

    "I love it when you scream like that, it''s exhilarating. Did I put on a good show back in the forest the other day? Were you convinced?"

    "Fuck you."

    "Some things, really, you''re better off not knowing. See I could never be like you, and that''s why I think you''re so fun. I admire it, really, not caring about what you say, not caring about who hears. I think I''d be a lot happier if I could be like that."

    He had been walking around while taunting me, he must be waiting for me to swing at him.

    "If you''re just going to stand there and talk about things that don''t mean anything to me, I''ll be going on my way."

    "I can''t let you leave, Erik." His voice changed to a more serious tone.

    "Really? After torturing me for two years you decide to keep me? Just wait a couple months, I''m sure you''ll find a kid who''s too stupid to realize that you''re a monster."

    "I understand that you''re always upse-"

    "You don''t understand a thing. You want to act like you know everything because you couldn''t live if you were forced to accept that you''re more idiotic than any person around you."

    "Why do you even care? What reason is there for you to care about what I do when I''m not beating you in every fight we''ve ever had? If you leave now, who''s to say that you get better at all? When we meet at the new school Alena is making, who''s to say that you don''t lose, that you won''t continue to lose?"

    "You''re horrible at acting like you care for me." I started to walk past him, but as I went right by him he stuck his arm out preventing me from going any further.

    I immediately unsheathed my blade and swung at his arm. He had already dashed backward and pulled out his blade.

    Every single movement was the same, the same cuts that he used on the dummy, except I was more careful. I wouldn''t swing randomly, I wouldn''t complete a swing if it was going to hit him. He never caught my blade, and if he got close I would swing it away fast enough that he''d get hit if he tried.

    Swing after swing, block after block, neither of us had the opportunity to land an actual hit on the other. Back and forth, swing to block, block to swing, and back to another block. My blade was chipped from countless fights but he always liked to keep his in the best condition, yet I knew that he wouldn''t be able to get rid of the damage this time.

    We darted around the small area we had, at least he wasn''t so cowardly that he would use the trees for protection.

    This went on for far too long, well into the night and into the sunrise. My bones were beyond beaten, and his were too, I couldn''t even feel or hear myself breathe, and we had gotten so slow that any thief could come by and kill us both.

    One mistake was all it took, one miss, one inability to control my blade, and he had knocked it out of my hands. I had fallen back onto the ground and he had positioned his blade on my neck.

    He struggled through breathing harder than he probably had ever before to celebrate his victory.

    "Are you done now? Can we go home?"

    I didn''t care anymore. If he won''t let me leave, then I''ll simply not stay. I was struggling to breathe the same way he was.

    "Just kill me."

    "What?"

    "Slice my damn head off and get it over with. I''d rather die than spend another minute in that house with you."

    "What are you even saying?" He could barely finish his sentences.

    "Just do it. Kill me."

    "Are you serious? You''d rather die here than live another day? Living at the house is that horrible?"

    "Koyo, slice my head off."

    "Erik you''re being an idiot. Just accept your loss and come back to the damn house, I''m not going to murder someone just because they find me annoying."

    "Koyo-"

    "No! I''m not going to do it! This is ridiculous! Any other solution, even if we exchanged only one word about why you''re upset would be far better than this. I''ll lose on purpose, I''ll avoid eye contact when I walk by you, I''ll spend my days hunting for food so you don''t have to see me when you''re training. Anything else, I''ll do it, please, Erik, don''t be like this. Don''t do this to me."

    "Koyo-"

    "I''M NOT GOING TO DO IT!"

    I leaped up from my spot and hit him as hard as I could in the stomach. He spit out blood, some of which landed on me, and fell onto the ground, his hands clutching his stomach and his blade beside him.

    I got my bag of food and my blade from where it had been thrown away to, and before I walked away leaving him on the ground I had to say one last thing.

    "You don''t regret a single thing you''ve done. You''re just pretending you do because you''re upset you aren''t getting away with it."

    I walked into the forest and finally had found the freedom that had been taken away from me for the past two years. The choice to go wherever I wanted, to do whatever I wanted. Ground beneath my feet that wasn''t those damn wooden floorboards or the field where he''d lie to me about having no powers and make fun of me for losing.

    For the first time, I felt a control that had been absent my entire life. I spoke to myself instinctually, as if he was still there, as if he could still hear me.

    "You''re a parasite, Koyo. And the worst part is, you know that you''re a parasite."

    I walked into the forest and became nothing but a man, alone in the world.

 Tall Tales

    My dearest, Francesca,

    I can recall the first time that I saw him. A figure far too burly for his age, and a brain that was equally developed. Friends of mine would recount how they were told to trade the physical prowess for its mental alternative, and talk about how they must''ve been lied to, for how could he exist if such a trade was necessary?

    Sixteen years, it had been told, for merely sixteen years had he been alive, and yet he rushed into the battlefield delivering orders of the same complexity as an experienced tactician, battling as though he had spent ages in the colosseum of Penilago, it was as though the world was merely a field for him to roam, a place for him to practice for whatever otherworldly feat he was created to obtain.

    Should I curse the world for creating such a monster? Should I preach some sense of justice? The soldiers in my unit blamed the divine septet, and my faith in them has not found itself unchallenged every time I lay eyes on the duke''s son. Dorian Maeldt is not of this world, I hold my suspicions that he is some divine messenger, some symbol of their great power sent here to correct the nonbelievers, to suss out the damned.

    The fifth day of our battle at Redloch, and he has yet to make an appearance. Untimely deaths have led to a change in membership and I have found myself at the head of my unit, a commander of a group no more than thirty. I have received summons, as have my co-commanders to the noble''s tent to convene in regards to strategy.

    I will write to you upon the completion of this battle, however, if you do not receive my letter, as I have asked you, take the time given to grieve yet accept that demise has met my present. Do not shed tears undeservedly, for these feelings of despair brought on by a mere child have left me inquisitive of my own existence.

    My dearest Francesca,

    These doubts could never withhold my love for you.

    Remain serene, undisturbed,

    Your other half, Madrin Tierno

    I rolled the piece of parchment as tightly as I could and walked outside to the messenger who had been tapping his feet in a display of impatience.

    "Deliver this with haste to my residence."

    "Your change in position does not entail a change in your treatment of me."

    "Have I not told you to make haste before?"

    He cast a quick glare before making his way out of the camp. Hopefully, the letter would reach her within one day''s time.

    I myself walked over to the noble''s tent while glancing at the conditions of the encampment. The cleric and bishop''s tents were filled equally with those who took the opportunity to repent before their self-perceived certain death and those who were critically injured from battles past. Some had gone mad and clung to the bishops, screaming at them while begging for forgiveness, the guards tasked with protecting all holy officials would eventually step in and throw them to the ground.

    The sky had been tainted with the color of blood by a spell cast from the opposing side at dawn, the shadows darker than that, obscuring the ground everywhere they went. The scenes surrounding me were nothing but disturbing, only the worst of omens for the battle to come and so I must elect ignorance as my savior in these times of need.

    I walked into the tent to find my commanders in arms all there waiting on my arrival. Their glances unquestionably exhibited their disappointment in my tardiness, and at the head of the table lay the very noble I had written about. I tried to avoid his glance, but when I did catch his eye he did not emulate the behavior of my peers, I could not find a hint of disappointment or some other derivative of anger in his eyes or any other facet of his expression.

    He delivered to me a neutral stare, as he would to any other commander in the room. He did not even cast his eyes in my direction for an extended period, shortly glancing at me as though to simply acknowledge my existence, and nothing more. He slammed his hand on the table to grab the attention of all those present, and I was freed from the unbreakable tension brought forth by my own actions.

    I watched as he took a small piece of wood painted with the colors of his crest and threw it across the table right to where I was. He spoke before I had the chance to pick up the piece of wood which was now right in front of me on the table holding the map of Redloch.

    "Don''t worry about being late, you came just in time for your part of the plan. Before I give you that, let me briefly summarize what I''ve told the rest of the units to do."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He took turns gesturing at each of the other commanders as he described their roles.

    "The four units on my right will act as a flank on the left of the battlefield. There lie the main ranged units, who will likely be expecting attacks on foot. Despite whatever preparations they may have, I trust in these units'' ability in a forward assault. The two closest to me on my left as our ranged units will either be responsible for covering the first four from any unexpected defense or covering the next two units closest to you who will be rushing straight forward toward the enemy lines. This is the place where you will come in."

    He pointed to a spot on the map while looking at the piece of wood he had passed to me. I quickly picked it up and tossed it over to where his hand was, he positioned it right in the middle of their encampment far across the battlefield.

    "The wizard who cast the spell that has ruined this sunny day is in their encampment, I want you to get rid of him while the rest of the troops are distracted."

    "What?"

    Another commander''s voice interrupted the both of us.

    "Such insolence! How dare you-"

    Before he could finish his sentence, the son of the duke already had placed a spear at his neck, a hair''s length away from killing one of his own best men.

    "Do not speak on my behalf, commander."

    "I understand, your grace."

    The commander had shrunk back and sat down while the rest of us chose to remain standing. The son of the duke threw the spear away from the table and brought his glance back to me.

    "I know that this seems foolish, but if all of the commanders present follow their orders then there should be no force sizable enough to prevent entry into their encampment. The rest of their forces will be distracted. Navigating the battlefield is your primary obstacle, but I trust that any soldier promoted so quickly to commander has the ability to navigate any battlefield without issue."

    He surely referenced my ability in an attempt to nullify any response I could offer. I remained silent and accepted that my death may come as a result of my previous commander''s incompetence and the whim that resulted in my ownership of his position.

    "You are all excused."

    I ran as quickly as I could back to the tent with my troops, I would need to spend however much time we had before this planned assault occurred to find some miracle under which I could survive, in the best case all of the soldiers in my unit survive as well.

    I stumbled into the tent and found all of them indulging in various separate conversations while repairing what gear they could and replacing what they could not. My unpresentable entrance inadvertently resulted in the attention I had planned to grab quickly, and I immediately returned my posture to that of the commanders in the noble''s tent as I delivered their directions.

    "Soldiers, we have unfortunately been assigned a role at the climax of this entire conflict. The same wizard that has cast this improper image over our sky is the one we are tasked with removing from this life. I understand that the death of our previous commander has left this unit in disarray, but I intend to deliver on the promise of victory to the son of the duke who has, in a great display of bravery, offered to participate in the battle alongside us."

    "Wait," The soldier most directly in front of me interrupted my speech. "You''re not saying that the asshole who made us all fight each other whenever we didn''t throw our lives away in every single battle no matter how significant is someone who we''re sad to lose, right?"

    "A member of our unit has passed away, regardless of personal grievances they are a casualty of this war and one that we should treat with the proper formalities."

    "I''ll stay silent if I live to see his funeral but I hope you don''t expect me to fake any tears." Another soldier to my left had aided in this interruption.

    "We need not waste any time discussing past members of this unit. I bring to you a plan I devised immediately after I was told we would be given such a vital role. According to the duke''s son, the rest of the units will create the opportunity for us to enter the enemy encampment without worry of ambush or other unknown militias interfering with said entry."

    None of them had cast any glances of judgment nor continued with their streak of interruptions, I paused nonetheless in anticipation of this. After a few moments had passed I continued my explanation.

    "I do not have any specific tactics to share as to how we will navigate the battlefield, I am certain that our expertise in wars of this kind will entail self-sufficiency for each member of the unit should we get separated, and if we should remain together I do not doubt in our collective ability to avoid all unforeseen harm during our sprint."

    The soldier I had known the longest, now standing at my right continued the pattern of interruptions. "Sprint?"

    "Yes. We will wait for a few moments after the order has been given to charge so that the other units may act as a proper distraction before the execution of our role. We will then sprint across the battlefield, and if all goes to plan the various mechanisms in place to prevent an invasion of their encampment will be disabled. As for the defeat of the wizard, I will take upon myself that responsibility as this unit''s commander."

    After my explanation I heard no objections from any of them, they continued preparing their equipment as I left the tent and found my own once more. I retired to the couch the now-departed commander had brought with him as a comfort. He once brought us all in the tent so he could sit on it and tell us about how perfect it was, but now it does not even serve the slightest distraction from my own impending doom.

    A large amount of time had passed before I heard the horns of battle blare across our encampment. I made haste toward my unit''s tent, and they were all properly equipped and uniformly organized waiting for my command. I made the gesture for them to follow my lead as we marched toward the gates and out onto the battlefield.

    The sky was still unmistakably red, and the morale of every unit was far from its peak. The duke''s son stood in the center, right in front of where out unit was positioned.

    With nothing but his own voice, he gave the call to charge forward, and so began our journey through damnation delivered to us.

 Tall Tales (2)

    The battlefield, a stage of relentless slaughter dealt equally to both parties produced sights and sounds providing only the greatest of horrors to all involved. The screams of individuals who I had talked to only moments ago now seemed simply a portion of this abomination. Navigation through this field was more hellish than I had anticipated, groups of arrows meant for units that were now making quick work of their archers had found their way to the areas in close proximity to our own.

    We stuck together as an amalgam of a singular being rather than a collection of beings, every unexpected movement creating immediate stress for every facet of this newly formed blob, our survival can only be attributed to the highest of luck, a miracle surely allowed by divine beings who may only look upon us with pity. What a sorry sight! We must seem an error in this battle of men with the will of sacrifice emboldening every action, the blood of many stains the dirt, and yet our lack of injuries is not a sign of competence, no, rather it is an embarrassing lack of honor as a soldier, no, as a citizen of the land of Maeldt that we appear unharmed.

    Through no efforts of ours, we had stumbled through hundreds of feet into the enemy encampment, and with the bloodshed now passed still clouding our senses we remained for a moment with the inability to understand our own surroundings. When the best of us came to we all followed their quick instruction to hide in a nearby tent. After I had been shaken back to consciousness by her, I quickly assumed the position of a spy.

    I held my ear up to the edge of the tent ensuring that no part of my figure would be visible to any passerby, the only individual left in the encampment would either be the lord supporting our enemy or the wizard we were tasked with sending to the realms beyond our own. I heard not the sounds of any identifiable language, but rather the footsteps, nearly so light that the now distant clashing of blades and deaths unwitnessed by my unit masked their presence, but they were heard, oh, they were heard.

    Unfortunately, the reason behind their unfortunate notice would be the figure I was unable to identify approaching the tent we had taken temporary refuge in. Before I was given the time to create some other space where we could properly obscure ourselves from his sight, we were greeted with his presence. My poor reflexes had failed me once more as I neglected to bring forth my blade, yet the soldier who had already saved us once acted again, and swiftly cut his throat open, with the blood resultant dirtying my uniform.

    When we were given the proper chance to view this figure, we noticed the robes he had been wearing were similar to that of a wizard''s robes within our own estate. We presumed that the wizard who had been given to us as a target was the very one who had just been murdered in an act of self-defense, and despite no physical reaction to this, it was an undeniable truth that celebrations were in order internally. Our next move was to exit the tent we had so hastily chosen as a place of hiding and return to our own side of the battlefield.

    However, it was upon this exit that we would be subjected to the poor truth of the matter, and the method by which this truth was delivered was a barrage of flames directed at every individual who composed my unit.

    The charred corpses of roughly ten, half of the original unit were quickly acknowledged by those who survived this initial onslaught as we all dove to separate areas of the encampment in a vie for protection from further attacks. It was clear that the individual we had been forced to take action upon was no other than the noble present at this encampment, and the wizard remained in some other area of the camp, likely interfering with the ongoing battle before our quite noticeable entrance.

    What followed was a collection of magic each with the intent to remove us from his sight, and from everyone else''s sight as well, with separate instances of flame, boulders, and even ice ensuring that most of the soldiers in my unit aside from myself and the most competent among them would only be seen next in a casket, if any of them were to be seen at all.

    The other soldier with me, her name refusing to be revealed despite the engravement of it in my own mind had hid herself away to the both of us, and I was left the sole target of what was an unavoidable death. The first attack given to me was the same that surprised us upon exit from the tent, a large collection of flames that approached nearly faster than I could process it.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    My reflexes had returned by yet another miracle and I quickly evaded to the left of the attack, however, its contact with the ground beneath me shattered the surface on which I stood into pieces, each of which with its own unique shape, a piece of art concocted by violence as if the red paint on the canvas of this field had not already sufficed the will of our artist.

    The wizard made use of these new shapes made of stone and dirt as weapons, retrieving them from the ground just to be thrown at my position. I ran in several directions, changing my movement repeatedly so as to perplex the wizard to prevent an untimely death poetically delivered by the ground that allowed me to live. Each shape would shatter on impact with the ground creating more of itself on the surface it hit; the use of one weapon would serve as the creation of multiple others.

    Eventually, I realized that the ground beneath me would become unusable as a means to prolong my life, so I immediately devised a plan to be rid of the wizard once and for all. Upon the next removal of a shape sizable enough to hold my figure, I would hold to it, and use the height every shape would gain before being thrown to make an attempt on his life. I waited out for this opportunity until a large portion of the ground was removed. I quickly jumped over it before this removal and was thrust into the air.

    He had not adjusted to this unexpected appearance, and before he had the chance to let go of this boulder I had already leaped toward him blade in hand. As I stretched my arm out so as to injure him upon being within close enough proximity, I saw the light of the very flame that threatened my life before. I would surely die and yet with my state of suspense mid-air there was naught but the ability to accept my death.

    As I closed my eyes to greet an instant relief from the pain of this battle I was moved by force to the left, I only slightly felt his flames before the wind of falling forced my eyes open. The sight given upon this third miracle was the very soldier who had disappeared prior. She held me close to her as she used her abilities to ensure our safe landing on the surface I was snatched from moments before. The disparity between the wind she produced and the one of indifference felt as though I had been offered shelter from the pouring rain.

    After our own recovery, we cast our eyes on the wizard and found his position had changed from the tower he had previously stood on to the shattered ground a few dozen feet ahead of us.

    We immediately dashed toward him in a second attempt to remove him from the battlefield, but before we could even enter close proximity yet another display of flames provoked immediate evasion, however, we were not separated this time. What would follow was an exchange of glances amongst ourselves that would result in an agreement to work in conjunction toward the goal of ending the enemy before us.

    We both darted forward, with the first boulder hurled at me being quickly blasted away by her wind. Upon the next wave of flames that same wind would be used to help divert them. Before the next spell could be cast I threw my blade at the wizard, which interrupted whatever attack was to follow after the second redirection. The blade did not hit him, however, it did serve as a proper distraction so we could close the large distance between us.

    To assist in this, we were both launched quickly toward the wizard by a blast of wind she summoned, landing us within a proper distance for the final phase of our attack. Before the wizard could summon some other blast of flames or a boulder to use in his defense I solely was carried by a blast of wind toward him. Without my blade, I was left with my fists to deliver a blow strong enough so that either he may pass upon contact, or may be dealt with shortly thereafter.

    However, in the most critical moment, my body had elected to fail me. I fell limp in the middle of my movement toward him, finally breaking from the constant stress of the previous moments; my miracle had elapsed.

    As I struggled to move after tumbling across the ground, I saw his final preparation. A spell that would certainly produce corpses identical to the ones that now lay scattered across the encampment. The corpses of twenty good soldiers I had led to their certain death, my failure was reflected in the blood or lack thereof on the corpses long burnt seeping into the cracks caused by a now useless battle.

    The light of his flames was unwelcoming. It was not the kind you find on a cold night, begging for warmth, the gentle surprise of heat that allows you rest after periods of suffering, no, rather this is the heat that forces your eyes open. The heat of a burnt forest, of a raid on the town you have come to call your home, the burning of everything you hold dear. This is not an existence that gives, but rather one that will take everything in its path.

    As I cast my gaze to the sky so I may avoid facing a painful death directly, I saw a silhouette bathed in rays of gold descend at a vast speed. His fist prepared as the deliverance of justice upon the enemy before me. The savior with his divine presence, electing to return for a pitiful soul such as myself.

    His impact upon the ground sent my lifeless figure flying without resistance, and yet despite the poor view that may be incited from such an action, despite the albeit probable injury I would soon sustain, I could not hold back a smile.

    Dorian Maeldt, in all his glory, had chosen to save me.

 Wants and Needs

    We are irreparably selfish, and for reasons beyond my knowledge often we find ourselves unable to admit this. At our very core, we are self-servient; we survived through a properly constructed list of priorities and the placement of our own sustenance at the very top of that list.

    We are unquestionably horrible. The very presence of our race reinforces the clearest truth that we are naught but a plague unto the realm that first granted us life. We are forced into nothingness, we are collectively damned, and the only way out is to renounce our own existence.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    We are irrevocably somber. How much there must be in the world to elect as the source of your sadness, how many opportunities there must remain for every individual to find their inevitable undoing. How many methodologies to create that sadness must our artists hold in their minds, what fragments of them do we see in ourselves?

    My grandmother passed away when I was an infant, yet such is not the sadness that plagues my heart.

 Absence

    Why am I making a whole chapter to announce a break?

    Well, there are not many other ways to announce a break so that''s a pretty useless question.

    In earnest, I really just need a week so I can get to winter break, if you are interested in the story (still) I can promise you won''t be interested in a story I force myself to write under current conditions.

    Writing is always something I want to enjoy, and never has there been a more surefire way to kill that enjoyment than to force yourself to write when you''re truly unable.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Ultimately being cryptic is in my nature but my consciousness demands that honesty prevail.

    It is hard to be honest in front of people that you know, and I think the reason it''s that way for me is different than it is for others.

    On the one hand, I get to prove Tolstoy right, on the other, I have to accept that Tolstoy may have been right. He''s looking at us, but I don''t think being correct helps with any sort of sadness.

    Often the most difficult issues are the ones that you understand but still are unable to fix.

 Tall Tales (3)

    When my body had decided to provide sight once more, I would come to find a greeting of dirt and dried blood as I emerged from a pile of rubble. A brief surveillance of my surroundings would contribute nothing to any future plans, and the red hue had not yet faded. Memories floated through my conscious, the last moment in my mind''s eye being that of his grace arriving to save us from certain death. I could not recognize any structures I once viewed on the battlefield, I could not hear the cries of men given in victory or defeat. I struggled to remove the rocks that now kept me chained to the dirt and blood mixture beneath me.

    Where had I gone wrong? Had I not been saved? I couldn''t possibly end up alone without any hope of returning to my encampment if I had been saved. There must have been some other factor, there must have been some other enemy that approached us after our miraculous victory. I wracked through my head for any memory of this, and yet all I found were the moments of watching him slam the wizard to the ground. That was the last sight I could recall before this destroyed landscape before me appeared uninvited.

    My struggles to escape from the rubble yielded nothing, and I was forced to wait for some second savior, for the same miracle to reappear. I prayed, prayed for any God that may exist, for any being that may take pity on a soul as poor as I, and I hoped that they would understand the dire circumstances I have found myself cast into.

    My prayers were quickly answered with the sound of another emerging from the same rubble. My eyes located the result of this sound before I could point to where it originated, the soldier who was with me. As I saw her face, covered with bruises and dried blood a few moments came back to me. The impact of his grace on the ground had sent us both flying, but we were standing on opposite sides of the encampment. How would we end up in the same area? There must have been something else, there must be more to this story.

    I watched as she struggled to remove the rocks atop her, and I attempted to do the same. Bit by bit, I would watch the larger ones roll off the top, but every time I looked back at the pile it would appear unchanged, and I began to lose hope. However, when the sun stood directly above me as so to obscure my vision, I looked up to find a figure obscuring the harsh red sunlight.

    She had escaped from her collection of rocks and began to help me with the escape from my own. When I could see my legs again I had wished for my sight to be taken away. They were twisted and battered in ways that I would rather not describe. I could not make out a section that even resembled the color of my own skin. Shades of red and purple covered both of them entirely, a canvas of torturous pain.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    She lifted me up onto her shoulders, tying my arms around her chest as if I were a cape, however, when she attempted to support my legs so they would not be dragging along the ground I released a sound loud enough to attract any nearby drotviles. She immediately released my lower half and readjusted my arms so I would not pain myself any further.

    When I was laid to rest once more, we had made our way well into the surrounding forest. A couple of encounters with the beasts of this forest had allowed us to fill our stomachs for the night, and she assumed the role of guard given my inability to fulfill it. Sleep provided no repose, and I was left dreamless.

    The next day had sneaked toward us, and we continued our venture through unmarked lands aimless. Turning back would provide no benefit, for in every direction there was no end, there was no sunlight left its purest color, unchanged by the various leaves taking the space between us. A day of slaughtering whatever animal with bad fortune enough to encounter us and walking in the same direction allowed us another night of rest. I offered to take the duty of guard since she had reported no disturbances the night before. We had not found any difficulty in our travels, a lack of sleep would prove more beneficial than disadvantageous at this rate.

    What was barely visible in the day turned to pitch black in the absence of sunlight. Any efforts of the moon were completely overruled by the monotonous collection of trees and other shrubbery. I could not tell whether my eyes were closed or open, every sense other than my hearing elected to fail me. I would be unable to respond to any beast normally, and yet I felt even more helpless as I silently prayed after even the slightest of noises. My fear was no more rational than it would be with the ability of sight, yet despite the understanding that I was acting illogically, I could not stop myself from praying.

    I had clearly fallen asleep in the midst of the eight-hundredth prayer, and when my eyes opened she was in front of me looking at a figure I would never expect to find in this endless repetition of green and brown.

    His stature: shorter than the both of us and yet he made up for whatever difference in height with a shocking disparity in musculature. Any head-on confrontation would be sure to result in a loss, and even the most skilled fighters in the land could not survive more than a few moments against him. His reputation preceded him, a boy of pure force, an entity that could not be stopped. If he had left the battlefield, we would have either suffered irredeemable defeat or an astounding victory.

    Dorian Maeldt stood in front of her, with the rising sun obscuring his face, and yet I could view his smile in my sorry state.

 Tall Tales (4)

    His voice was clearly damaged, no doubt he had taken charge of the battlefield and worn out his lungs with orders.

    "I thought you''d be dead." His sentence was ended by a fit of coughing that landed him leaning against the nearest tree keeping his head parallel to the ground. Still, he continued. "I suppose our staggering loss today at least two of you will live to tell the tale."

    So we had lost. He fell to the ground and the soldier with me quickly rushed over to lean his back against the tree so he wouldn''t be inhaling dirt and fallen leaves.

    "How did we lose?" She had chimed in after ensuring he was sitting upright.

    He cleared his throat before speaking again.

    "Shortly after my arrival at the enemy encampment, I had believed my impact strong enough to result in the death of their mage, but as I turned my back he emerged an abomination. Some devilish spell he cast gave him the ability to ravage the entire battlefield." He paused to swallow, but as he opened his mouth to speak again blood spilled out. He went into another fit, pouring his organs out with every cough.

    She had rushed over once more with a potion in hand. While shoving it down his throat she examined his body. Lifting a piece of leather he had loosely placed over his armor revealed a gash over his heart. He winced as she removed the leather, exposing the wound, and she placed it back over the hole in his armor as quickly as she had taken it off.

    "Before I had the strength to respond, I viewed the corpses of hundreds, I looked to the location of my camp and found ruins." He spoke more softly. "I am to blame. No doubt my arrogance is the cause of this resultant incident."

    "Don''t speak like that." She interrupted him again. "It''s not like a noble to take responsibility. Didn''t your parents teach you anything?"

    He chuckled. "I hope you aren''t taking advantage of my injuries to slander me."

    "I might''ve thought of that." She had cut off the sleeve of her blouse and after alteration, wrapped it around the area of his wound. She stood up and walked over to me, handing me a potion as well.

    "We are to blame, your grace." I provided an interruption of my own. "Had we handled the wizard effectively instead of assuming victory after killing the wrong target he would not have gone on to defeat our forces."

    After the potion was empty, the feeling of my legs returned. However much pain I had as a result of this was infinitely better than before.

    "Do not blame yourselves." He wiped the blood near his mouth with his sleeve. "If I am to hold any pride as a commander it should be in my tactics. My father would insult me far more than I currently am if he had witnessed this defeat."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    She had walked over to a tree a ways away from the both of us, forming a triangle between us three. "There''s no use in complaining about it. You ran from the battlefield because you wanted to survive, right? If you sit here sobbing they''ll just find you anyway."

    I was about to scold her when I saw his grace gesture at me to hold my words.

    "You speak well for a commoner." He gave her a slight smile.

    "This is probably my only opportunity to get out of your estate. I hope you''ll forgive me for skipping the theatrics."

    "What grievances do you hold toward my family?" His smile had disappeared soon after her comment.

    "Nothing in particular. I don''t do well with orders." She was taking swigs from her pouch of water in between responses.

    "If you were some sort of insurrectionist I would''ve heard of you."

    "If I were stupid, you''d know that I''m an insurrectionist. I prefer to deal with these things silently."

    "So you''re the one who sent your commander into the woods that night."

    The conversation was escaping from my understanding, each sentence rife with information, leaving me babbling to myself just struggling to understand the basics of this exchange. She was a rebel? She killed our former commander? I was caught up in contemplating whether she had ever shown signs of this, when I re-entered the conversation they had moved to an entirely separate topic.

    "There is no reason for me to believe the capital will fall within the next century." His voice had returned to him, somewhat.

    "All of you nobles say you''re different and yet your view of the world is the same. If King Farjerd hadn''t happened to be in Prymdor at the time the Ernstoff Twins would''ve caused the collapse of the country right there and then. The empire survived by luck, and they learned nothing."

    "I would not call that luck. Farjerd was in the running for a position in the monarchy at that time already, that was a choice made by him because he had wanted to assist in the growth of Melantia."

    "Yes, you nobles love to think that you''re all so great and everything good comes from the things you do, even if they aren''t on purpose."

    "If it ''just so happens'' to be that way, then what argument do you have against such a claim?"

    Their argument was interrupted by a bellowing scream throughout the entire forest. She spoke before he could explain what it was.

    "I guess that''s our wizard friend?"

    "If those noises are him, then I''d suggest you both ready your blades?"

    "You truly expect us to win against that thing?" I had come out of silence.

    "Is it unfair for me to have faith in my knights in shining armor?"

    "If I return this favor, will you let me go when the time comes?" They stared at each other after she said this. Neither of them said a word, but I knew that he was deciding whether to accept her offer.

    "I could lie right now, say that I''ll free you, and then keep you under the estate after you both save us all."

    "You could, but I was under the impression that Dorian Maeldt is a man of his word."

    The silence was filled with the sound of the approaching wizard.

    "We do not have the time for you two to be strong and silent!"

    "Very well." He spoke to her. "You have my word that you shall be free."

    She smiled at him in response. "Then I guess we''ve got a mage to kill, commander." She looked back at me, and just then the abomination he had not properly described made itself apparent.

    Standing just above the treetops, a black mass of agony and despair lay before us.

 Tall Tales (5)

    "I hope you remember how to ride the wind!" She had resorted to screaming as so to not be drowned out by the sound of the wizard''s approach.

    I responded with a nod, and continued with clarification, "Where will I be riding to?"

    "Usually it''s a decision made when the moment comes, so I can''t tell you. Just be prepared."

    I offered yet another nod, and our first evasion split us apart. She to the left and myself to the right as the formed abomination rushed past us both. His grace had made way from the soon-to-be battlefield in the time left before the wizard''s arrival, and I did not lay eyes upon him after his initial exit.

    She and I orbited the wizard at opposite sides, remaining at a distance while waiting for its rampage to pause so we may be granted a proper opportunity to strike, or at the least an opportunity to devise a plan of attack.

    We had well departed from our resting spot when the monster had halted, turning its gaze to me with the intent of slaughter.

    An arm comprised of poisonous sludge jutted out from the collection of all that provokes disgust with its mission to corrupt me, a blast of wind aimed at my lower left allowed me the propulsion to make haste from this limb. Unfortunately what began as a single limb soon turned into ten, some attacking the ground I had laid foot on a mere moment prior, others tearing at the soil beneath it, forming life into a projectile used to end my own.

    Our continued circular motion around the man-turned-beast allowed my life to continue, and the repetitive nature of its attacks surely granted her time to devise a strategy, even I had began to think on an attempt at defeating this monstrosity.

    A once populous area of trees in the forest had emerged a perfect circle of destruction that only widened with every attack. Trees torn with roots intact, flowers trampled without second thought, leaving a barren landscape befitting to house the enemy before us.

    The continuous attacks allowed us to regroup and with this came efficient discussion.

    "I couldn''t find any weak spots, but if I were to guess with this kind of monster there''s some core at the middle of it!" I could barely comprehend her words through the sounds of impact right behind us.

    "How are we meant to reach this core? If the sludge this wizard has composed himself with is able to absorb the surrounding environment, what hope is provided by either of our blades?"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "It''s a solid thing, right? Not some illusion or summoned object?"

    "I believe so!"

    "Then I can knock it off! With a blast of wind large enough I could blow away whatever is covering its weak point!"

    "You would need to stand in place to conjure wind powerful enough!"

    "That''s why I need you to distract it, and you need to move it away from this place! Once I have the blast readied it''s basically an item I can carry with me until I let it go! If you can distract it and bring its attacks away from me for just a bit, I can do it!"

    "How long is ''a bit''?"

    "I don''t know! He''s slow, though, you can see it too! It shouldn''t be that hard!"

    Our full circle around the beast had come to a close, and the land already destroyed would have proved difficult to navigate regardless. I quickly pivoted to the right and ran with all my might forward. The beast did provide chase, and I simply ran as fast as I could without looking back.

    More attacks presented themselves in the form of projectiles; trees and piles of the earth untimely torn from their place of rest were thrown at me but instead of missing me in their usual pattern, they appeared at my side, even somewhat in front of me. What began as an easy task of patience in my sprint became a constant fight simply to not be crushed.

    I vaulted over any appeared projectile that proved an obstacle in my path and made use of my hearing to avoid the trees and rocks landing beside me. However, I viewed an obstacle I would not be able to surpass, and I knew that my hope lied in the hands of my best soldier.

    With this unfortunate piece of knowledge came two useful facts, that of my location and the possibility that I survive the coming moments. The mountains of the Aerdal forest were unkind to battles, yet all the conflicts that have occurred here have been spoken of for generations. Either my defeat will be told around the empire, or I will be celebrated by all on the anniversary of this day.

    A glimpse of her uniform appeared beside me, with a glimmer brought on by the capsule of air she held in preparation to strike. I saw her mouth move, and heard no words, yet I knew what she asked of me. I quickly darted to my left, so that the wizard may run himself into the oncoming mountain.

    After the impact, the wizard was greeted with the prepared blast, and despite my distance from the event, its sound must have rang throughout the entire forest. I quickly maneuvered over to her position so I may make use of this chance to strike its core, luckily traveling the vast distance between us in time for this.

    Unfortunately, when the collection of sludge had been cast aside and all that was left was the upper half of a corpse and torn robes to accompany it, there was no core. No object lodged in the middle of this thing controlling it.

    Our disbelief encouraged a lack of movement, a lack of thought, and that moment of repose for the beast was all it required to regenerate. We had thought too simply, we presumed that this abomination had become the main entity but the wizard was always the target.

    The mind of the wizard is the core.

    This realization came to me far too late, for the regenerated abomination came forth, and did not intend to continue the mistakes of its predecessor.

 Tall Tales (6)

    We had both made haste from the area, yet the sound of that monster did not yet weaken. Every step felt as though it served no purpose, the distance between ourselves and the beast did not widen. We were not granted the slightest chance to converse, to discuss any new plan of action, rather we were forced to use our full focus simply to not be crushed by the blind rage of this abomination.

    Projectiles were thrown at faster rates than before; strikes were aimed at where we would be instead of where we were, we would either contribute our full ability to avoiding the relentless attacks from the wizard or be brought to death by them. Our previous position at the bottom of the Mountains of Aerdal meant we were equidistant to any escape from this forest. The only hope we had was with a battle of attrition, but to assume that we held more energy than the manifestation of evil behind us would leave us both subject to the consequences of hubris.

    After what could have been hours or days of relentless pursuit, we had split off from one another, and to my surprise, the beast had followed her. I believed in her ability to conjure a blast that would deliver an opportunity of escape, however, not intending to live out the rest of my life in this forest I did not halt my sprint.

    The small gaps in the leaves let me track the cycle of day and night, when the sun rose again I decided to estimate my progress. The sound of the wizard had long since disappeared, but I wondered whether it was better to be alone in a forest without sound than fighting for my life at every moment.

    This silence did not last, to my fortune, I had found his grace in an encampment surely self-made. He emerged from a tent, a shelter made of leaves woven together. How long had he taken to rest in this spot? His collection of structures was by no means advanced, but it was far more than I would expect for what would have been no longer than a day. Such a conclusion does not even take into account the distance between the location of our battle and his current location.

    "I suppose you have various questions about my current situation?" He had taken the words from my mouth far before I was given the chance to speak them.

    "Yes-"

    "Well, they will have to wait. Where is the wizard? Why is he not following you?" His interruption served as a surprise.

    "What?" I stammered any response I could muster.

    "Now is a poor time to go deaf, commander. Where is the wizard? Where is your soldier? Why are neither with you?"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    I took the proper position and delivered all the information he requested. "We were both running away from the wizard and one of its attacks resulted in our separation. The monster followed her after this separation; I do not know where either of them are."

    He had stood up from his seat and walked around the camp, likely contemplating a response, or perhaps a plan of his own. I remained in my position, kneeling to him and waiting patiently for his word.

    "If the wizard elected to follow her, that must mean it had regained some part of its conscience." He reached into the chest pocket of my cloak while speaking to me.

    "What do you mean? The wizard did regenerate, but that was after my soldier had scattered all of its body except for the remaining half of its human corpse."

    He held the item that he had just removed from my person; it was a shape I could not describe shrouded in an aura the same color as his magic.

    "The spell that the wizard cast sacrificed his sanity for immense strength. He forsook that which allowed his humanity to persist, and with this inherited the characteristics of a beast." He had sat down once more. "Beasts will chase the most concentrated source of magic, and so with your endurance, I trusted you as a proper target for its rage. The reason you did not know of this would be because-"

    "I am without any semblance of magic." I interrupted him with the realization of my shortcomings, and how they had been used by a child who I foolishly trusted.

    "That is correct."

    He stood up and paced around once more before continuing. "If the beast has decided to chase her, then he may be somewhat human again, however, she should be able to find us ourselves."

    A scream, no, a bellow, loud enough to grace the entire forest erupted from an unknown area. We recognized the sound of that beast. Only moments had passed before its equally recognizable stomps could be heard from our location.

    Instead of preparing for battle in any regard, instead of throwing an order, he put both of his hands on my shoulders and demanded my attention. We locked eyes as he spoke to me.

    "I must admit, commander, I have lied to you. When you confessed to being without magic, I allowed myself to affirm such a claim, but it is incorrect." He placed the blade which he had been holding into my hands and returned both hands to my shoulders. "If you had no magic, do you suspect you coincidentally ran in the direction that would result in our meeting?"

    I struggled to understand his words with the now amplified sound of the wizard''s rampage, I had taken quite a few moments before understanding his implications.

    "If I do hold magic, then how will I use it?"

    "That, I do not know. However, it is not unwise to assume that in times of dire need, a hero''s true abilities will make themselves known."

    He released my shoulders and readied himself for the oncoming battle.

    I held my blade forward at the approaching monstrosity, and I did not question his words, I did not take a chance to guess my own abilities, I would not waste any of the time given to me. I looked at the abomination ahead of me, and I believed in the words of his grace.

    My reward came in the form of the same glimmer he had allowed me to glimpse upon, yet it emerged from my blade.

    With no other option available, I trusted in my grace, and I trusted in his guiding light.

 Tall Tales (7)

    I awoke from the unsuspected slumber that had stolen his guiding grace from me in my moment of attainment. Yet perhaps such thievery was made up for, as I awoke to a battlefield stained with the air of victory. My soldier and his grace were off near a tree left of me, discussing and dining on what was left of their rations. The first to notice my arrival was his grace, who was followed by my own soldier as they slowly came toward me.

    "Well, my savior has awoken!" His face was painted with an inescapable smile, one that drew you in and refused to let you go. His rose-tainted cheeks indicated a clear lack of sobriety, yet he showed no other signs of any alcohol affliction.

    My soldier on the other hand was not as lucky, she had struggled to both stay awake and upright as she stumbled over uprooted trees and disheveled collections of packed soil and broken boulders. Her speech was slurred unlike his which escaped any effects of the beer both of them had been downing as though it were water from the nearby rivers.

    "Listen, you''re one hell of an asshole," Burps and other bodily interruptions would not give her a break, she struggled through every impediment to deliver a single sentence. "But what you did back there was sick, and I''ve never seen anything like it."

    "What did happen back there?" I elected to interject. "It seems I contributed in some positive way, but I do not have any memory of events after the helpful words from my grace."

    They both looked at me momentarily without any words before his grace spoke to me.

    "Do you truly not remember even an instant of your battle with the wizard?" His tone had changed, and as he finished his sentence my soldier had sat beside me, gracing me with a consistent gaze that would not relent.

    "I do not, your grace. I remember your words of encouragement, and then I believe I saw a light similar to the one you emit upon usage of your power. After that sight, I was taken from this world to be at rest." The torch they had brought with them rested on the boulder closest to us, however, it offered only dim lighting and I could no longer view the expressions on their faces.

    "Well let me clue you in, you absolutely ripped that thing to shreds." She had chimed in once more. "I don''t suspect that even your prized lord could have done something like that, not in his state at least." She broke into a laugh after saying this.

    I raised my hand to scold her, but my body would not listen. I was stuck in this position of barely keeping myself from lying back down on the cold hard surface beneath me.

    "Do not move to punish her in any way, commander." His grace interjected. "Even I must concede that your performance was quite impressive. I understood you were capable but I did not truly know the level of that capability."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    With no response, he continued after this. "The sun has set, and I will be departing to my new temporary camp. You will be responsible for your own survival tonight, and by you I actually mean your soldier seeing your current state."

    As he started to walk away I responded. "Was your old camp not destroyed by the battle?"

    He paused and turned around to face me. "It was."

    "Then why have you not set up camp near us?"

    He paused once more, staring at me as if my response was out of line. I immediately moved to apologize.

    "I am sorry your grace- I-"

    He held his hand up toward me, indicating that I should cease all noise.

    "I have not bothered to explain to you any rationale behind my actions, and for good reason." He did not respond with any anger, I had worried there was a tinge of indignation in my undue questioning of his choices. "I am an untrusting person, and despite the events of these past few dawns, I will not lay my trust in a man who is not conscious at the peak of his strength, and a woman who seeks to desert my estate."

    He walked away without any further objections from either of us, and after he had escaped from both of our sights we returned to the task at hand. She whisked my body from the ground and brought me over to the collection of trees she had chosen to reside in. Her place of shelter was not too different from his grace''s, no doubt she received assistance from him after the battle I had not witnessed occurred.

    She sat me down on a tree right in front of the large fire she had constructed in the middle of all the trees. She did not sit opposite to me, rather, she chose to lean on the tree adjacent to mine, perhaps to avoid any words being swallowed by the sound of wood burning and falling apart along with the accompanying flames attacking the air foolishly remaining close to it.

    "Y''know, once this thing is over, why don''t you escape the estate with me?"

    I looked over to her and I was met with her gaze once more. It was not the same way she would usually look at me, glaring as though anticipating some move of a violent nature, waiting for the opportunity to counterattack. Her eyes had widened, the wrinkles surrounding them disappearing just as her aggression apparently had. With this in mind I chose not to respond with the aggression she had abandoned.

    "You understand well why I cannot do such a thing. Look at all his grace has done for me-"

    "Done for you? Look at what he''s made you do for him. First, he sends an unorganized unit out to kill a wizard with a spell that can turn him into a monster capable of taking on an eikmar, and after you''re done playing soldier and killing it, he goes on about how he can''t trust you. That''s the kind of person you want to stay serving?"

    "It''s not about what I want, it''s about what''s best for this country." My tone had changed, the aggression I thought let loose had returned.

    She paused and sighed before responding. "All I''m saying is that if you ever decide you want more from this life, I have a place I''ll be staying in down in the Halls of Vaeround."

    We both neglected to offer anything more to the conversation after this until she mumbled something I could just barely make out over the flames before us.

    "We have to worry more about killing this ''Francesca'' person anyway."

    Her name was as though a bolt of lightning had struck my body. I felt the urge to slip away once more as my entire body filled with rage, and indescribable anger toward my own soldier. I was unable to control this calling to drift asleep, and my eyes closed before yet another pivotal moment.

    When I opened them again, she lay lifeless, a charred corpse with a hole the size of my arm in her stomach.

    I watched as the fire accepted its feast, and I too accepted the warmth it offered in return.

 Tall Tales (8)

    He had come by in the morning, a story to avoid responsibility concocted over the night would have to suffice.

    He stared at her charred corpse as I explained a most fantastical tale.

    "She had become enraged at my refusal to abandon my post, so much so that she believed I would turn my back on her and force her away from her goals. In the night, I slept soundly, her knife in my shoulder was a most rude awakening."

    I exhibited a wound I had created myself, his seeming acknowledgment allowed me to carry on.

    "I truly am sorry that we have lost a soldier, your grace, I feared for my life in that moment and acted rashly, I saw no other way to avoid certain death if I did not strike her down where she stood. I do apologize, I-"

    He waved his hand in a request for me to cease my excuses.

    "That is enough, commander. We do not have the time to grieve, for our enemy lies nearest to us now." His voice was sturdy, just like himself.

    He started to walk away from the fire and paused to look back when I did not follow him.

    "Will you be coming along, commander? Or shall I assume that you intend to desert me as well?"

    "Not at all, your grace. I merely was momentarily unaware of your purpose."

    He glanced at me as though he did not believe my words, I had not taken any action to offend him, and he did not provide any resistance when I explained this self-manufactured plight of mine. I could not help but wonder whether he intended to be rid of me, as I took hold of all I would need for this final leg of our journey alone I watched him closely. He simply sat by a tree, feasting on the leg of some forest beast he likely slaughtered for dinner this last night.

    I stood in front of him with all I would need waiting for his next order. He glanced at me and provided no words, merely rising from his seat and walking away. This time, I did follow him to our mutual destination.

    We walked in silence, though I believe this was for the better. Any needless conversation may lead to an unfortunate discovery of the unforeseen circumstances that occurred last night. His grace was known to be direct, without a taste for the meaningless and benign. I would not need to worry about any dull discussion topics that would waste away my mind-

    "What do you expect to come of this, commander?" He interrupted my praise with its contradiction.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "Pardon?"

    "I am unsure as to what will be made of my estate after this incident is sealed in the past, and so I am curious as to your plans for this coming future."

    We continued to walk in silence after this, as I considered what the right answer would be. I am sure that I have expressed my will to continue as a commander in his army, so why does he question me now? Does he believe that my interest has been swayed by this event? Did I not just prove my loyalty to him? Did I mistake some expression of disbelief for acknowledgment?

    "You seem to be stuck in thought in regards to your answer." He once more interrupted my inner voice, but perhaps it was for the better. "I understand that you wish to continue under my estate, but I wish to understand what you will pursue should my estate cease to exist."

    "Do you truly believe such a future approaches?" I responded with haste.

    "I do not know." He responded in kind. "For every battle I have watched as the supreme authority, I have delighted in my victory, and the first battle which demanded my presence leaves the future of my estate and all those within it to my abilities in these coming moments."

    His voice did not seem as sturdy anymore. He avoided looking at me whenever he spoke, even if he had turned around to ensure my presence, if he were to make any comment I would witness him turn away first.

    "I understand well the politics of being a noble." He spoke once more. "My father ensured I was prepared for my future if nothing else, and I was brought up to always consider my position. When your soldier questioned nobles and our purpose, I did not rebut out of genuine disagreement, but rather a necessity to myself."

    We stopped after he had finished that sentence, and he continued once we were motionless.

    "Everyone holds the expectation that I am to be as every other noble is, obnoxious and not even deservedly so. I am supposed to fulfill the role of an adult who would rather imitate a child than accept the responsibility of my own actions than take any meaningful role in the success of my estate."

    He had taken a deep breath and turned slightly toward me before continuing again.

    "I have neglected this role, I have given to the people who appear needy, I have invested myself in the affairs of my estate at every opportunity and I have strived to leave my house in better standing than I was given at my birth. I have strived to give those under me the same opportunity, to provide a better childhood to their next of kin."

    His eyes had finally met mine, and yet I could not view them in full detail, there was something in the middle of us.

    "When I rebutted your soldier," he continued, "it was not out of genuine belief in our superiority, but rather a belief that my behavior which had neglected the role I had been assigned to resulted in the destruction of all I strived to create. I look at my future and all I see is the choice to let either my ideals or my estate crumble. The first time I have suffered defeat, and it has been the result of no fault but my own."

    The obstruction faded, as a tear that had rolled down his cheek.

    "I want to understand what you will do, commander." His voice had become more unwilling to continue on, he choked on his own spit. "I want to understand that, because I have not a single clue what I will do."

    I did grasp the meaning behind his behavior as a result of his confession, and I knew at that moment what the best response I could offer was.

    "I think, your grace, that such a question is more fit to be asked after our victory." A smile accompanied this offer of avoidance.

    He looked at me for a moment, before giving a smile in return. He turned around, and we continued on our way.

 Tall Tales (9)

    The tower of our enemy was now only feet before us, our final obstacle had appeared. The door, however sturdy was no match for the now rejuvenated heir of the Maeldt estate, and fell to pieces after a single attack. The noise was sure to alert whatever enemies resided in this fortress of our arrival, but it mattered not.

    Foes rushed at us upon entry, and we dismantled each attack as though it could never pose any threat. His grace did not give any unnecessary attention to the minions of this great evil, and even I did not find any struggle in dealing with the masses, for my sword allowed a quick deliverance of death to all those willing to jump at it.

    Foe by foe, blood soon painted the walls of this fortress in our journey to the peak of this tower. There would lie our true enemy, the orchestrator of all. The primary threat to the Maeldt residence, the individual who must be sent from this plane by any means available.

    The sun had not yet reached its peak in the sky, it did not yet cast shadows perfectly over our heads when we had found the room of this lord. Sitting on a throne staring at tinted glass with the image of his lord plastered over it. I understand now that a difference in faith must be his primary motivation. He seeks to bring the will of Loirel to the Maeldt estate, and when diplomacy did not yield pleasing results, he would rather resort to whichever underhanded tactics made themselves apparent than abandon his post.

    Yet when this individual stood from their throne, when they elected to grace us with a view of the enemy before us, the person we had sworn to strike down, they understood well their ability to affect my mind with their appearance. My beloved, Francesca, stood before me.

    "Betrothed, I see you have brought me the heir of the Maeldt estate as dowry." Her voice, divine, filling my ears with an unthinkable sensation, effortlessly rekindling a love lost over years of combat, the simple sound of her invited me to question a decade of service. Surely the Maeldt estate is at fault for driving us apart, if they had not presented themselves with weapons, prepared to strike down the life of mine and my beloved, then I would be able to live a life of bliss-

    I had lost myself in fantasy and regained sense to find my very own blade pointed at his grace. Francesca gifted me a grin that would bring an army to its knees, one that would invite a king to abdicate his title. Yet I did not understand the will of my beloved, I escaped the ability to grasp her reasoning, no, to understand her. I explained well why I trusted in his grace, and why I believed in him. She held my hand after a night of conflict and told me she would let me serve him until I had completed all that was necessary. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Yet as I hold my blade up to his grace, the man responsible for my current abilities, the man who has kept me alive, I understand well the truth of my "beloved." A soldier yearns for home, yes, but he yearns for devotion most of all. Any opening, any disbelief harbored by a man is a path to temptation, the soldier will seek to devote himself to a new source, an opening for those with ill intentions, an opening that this sorceress has filled with false memories of herself. She has intruded on my mind, inscribing her presence on memories that belong to me.

    Yet my discovery of the truth, in all its beauty and regality fell on the ears of a man who had been lured away from his post. My body moved in accordance with the orders of another, a bewitching figure who had found the perfect disadvantage to exploit. Yet even as I am whisked around against my will I must concede my own fault. It was my faith that faltered, for she did not create an opening in my mind of her own ability. Opportunism was the name of her tactic, and what had I done if not provided her with the perfect opportunity?

    I engaged in battle with his grace, or more accurately this sorceress had engaged in battle with him, using my body and my blade as a medium for her goal of toppling the Maeldt estate.

    O'' temptation, how could I fall victim to your devilish allure! I understand well that you are a tool abused by many, and yet my knowledge provided no aid. In my darkest moment, my mind ceased to be and all that remained was a vessel, a collection of flesh prepared for the next order. I lost my will at the same moment I had lost my way, and now I must watch as the consequences of my infidelity lead me astray!

    This plane is torn by our battle, and yet such is not the true pain of this event! A commander of the Maeldt estate relinquishing his beliefs for even a moment, a blunder that will be known for centuries! Shall this sorceress prevail with me as her machine, or shall his grace remain triumphant over this fraction of true evil I am to be damned in the eyes of all!

    Memories of a battle not yet had flashed before my eyes, as I regained my senses for a final moment, looking up at his grace as a lie undoubtedly defeated on a ruined meadow.

    His grace would always remind the soldiers of the estate of the core tenet that he abides by.

    The damned and weak are not alike; They are one and the same.

    It is no more damning that he repeats this line now, for I understand my role in the history of his reign well. The fool who allowed the longing for another to drive a line between him and his lord. Yet as I prepared to depart unresolved, he, in an act of infinite generosity left me with forgiveness.

    "Despite this, commander. You do not deserve damnation, for even now I cannot see anything but a representation of the strong."

    His true departing gift was that of a smile, not covered by but rather exemplified by the sunlight.

    With such an existence, even as I sunk below all land, how could I not do as such with sadness in my heart?

 A Short and Unfortunate Truth

    The commander of the fourth unit and his favorite soldier are just standing awkwardly waiting for me to ask them why they''d walk into my tent without notice. He was glaring in my direction, but he wasn''t mad at me, there was something else he wanted to talk about. She avoided looking at me, anywhere near me really. She fidgeted with her arms and looked at the floor to her right.

    "Your grace, he''s attacked another soldier." He gave me the reason at the same second I had figured it out myself. "I understand that you believe he is not a threat, that we can simply put up with his mistakes but this is the fourth incident this week."

    "I''m pretty sure I told you I didn''t care whether it was the one-hundredth mistake, I''m not going to let him off easy." I''ve repeated this to him every time, but it''s clear he won''t give it up. Even if I threaten him he probably won''t back down.

    "I know, your grace, however, this time he has crossed an unforgivable line." Why''s he looking at her after saying that? Oh. So that''s why he''s mad.

    "What reason is that, exactly?" I''ll let him say it, just to make sure.

    "He has lashed out at my finest soldier."

    He and her are clearly in disagreement about whether this actually means anything. Not even a moment passes and she''s already defending the old man and he''s looking at her like she''s mentally unwell.

    "Your grace, I beg of you!" Her voice invites me to believe her. I wonder how she''s here involved in some random battle and not giving speeches at the Kranenderf. "He simply struck me by accident! I have not been severely harmed! I beg of you to take mercy on him, allow him to live!"

    "Please! If I had not dragged you over here, you would have apologized to him for ''getting yourself hit''!" He raised his tone at her in a way I''d never heard him speak when I was near. In the same way all of my commanders love to scream at their soldiers but act like saints when I take a tour of the encampment. It''s obvious that he doesn''t just want the old man dead for the sake of it.

    "He is delirious! A sad old man reduced to nothing by this war, and you want to take what life he has left because he is unhappy with his current state?" I couldn''t tell why she cared. Not that I know her, but not many soldiers here are the empathetic type.

    "Congratulations, then, you are supporting putting this ''sad old man'' out of his misery by simply letting me exact punishment on a soldier who has bruised you!" This apple is helping me distract myself from the affair in front of me, though, so I don''t have to sit through an argument better left for before they enter my tent. He''s only getting louder with every line.

    "His life is all he has left! I hope that his delusions are of a world where he is treasured! Where he is able to live out the life that has been ruined long ago! Let him wander hopelessly, at least he will not suffer anymore!" She, however, still has that same voice. She''s doing the thing where the first and last parts of her sentences are the loudest. I''m pretty sure it''s effective because if it wasn''t me listening to this, whoever was would be moved to tears.

    "You truly are better suited as a devotee than a soldier, but you chose to remain here despite everyone around you advising otherwise. This is the choice you have made, and I will not allow your ideals that belong elsewhere to interrupt the decisions that must be made here." That little thing people do when they go back to speaking in a low tone of voice, they think it makes them sound more serious. I speak and people listen whenever, so I guess I''ll try that out.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I''m almost done with my apple, but they''re both staring at me. Is there a reason...? Oh, right, they want me to solve this. I''ll get to it after I finish with this annoying skin.

    "Alright," He still had that same glare. Resilient. That''s nice. "You want me to do what, clear you to kill him?"

    "Nothing so crude, your grace, I do not wish to be rid of him for the sport. He shall simply be put to death quickly by our executioner." His gaze softens, he probably realizes that I''m going to give him what he wants. Now she''s the one glaring, but unlike him, she''s actually ticked at me. I want something out of this though, I don''t like sitting through arguments if I''m not going to get anything from it.

    "How about this, I''ll kill him myself." He looks surprised, but he won''t say no, not when I''m agreeing with him.

    "If it is so ordered." He might be struggling to hold back a grin, but I don''t care. I just don''t want to hear about any of this again.

    "Great! Just tell me where he is." He''s pointing straight out of the tent instead of saying anything. This happened in the executioner''s square? That''s hilarious.

    I didn''t expect her to not follow me, it just means I''ll be arguing with her on the way there.

    "You''re truly going to murder him?" She''s clearly done with the pleading voice. "In broad daylight, you are going to slaughter an old man, one who was your own soldier?"

    "Yeah, that''s about right." At this point I''m biting into the core, it''s time to throw it on the ground.

    "You lied, did you not? You appeased his demands, and now you will work with me to find some way to ensure his safety! Truly brilliant, I could tell that he would not give in, even to you, but I am glad you decided to trick him."

    "No, I''m gonna kill the old man."

    "For what purpose? What affront has he committed? I am the injured and I have cleared him of all responsibility, I have absolved him, and still, you wish to bring about your own justice?"

    "Mm-hmm." I wonder whether I''m up to launching myself at that wizard tonight. The commander of the first unit says that they''re planning to attack our camp soon, so I might just be able to wait for them.

    "Why? Why do you simply agree with the woes of a man who only advocates for his death out of a misinterpretation of my interests? This poor soul means nothing to you, so just let him be!"

    "I mean, he is old and crazy. I don''t want old and crazy people working for me, they just sit around, do nothing, and then get in some incident that I have to hear people scream about."

    "And who is to blame for that state?"

    Well, if she wanted to interrupt me, she truly knows how. Threatening her would work better in this case.

    "What do you think you''re gonna get, huh?" I was looking at her but she was no longer glaring at me. She knows what she did. "I''ve made a decision. If you''ve even been a soldier for a week you know the answer to this question: do I ever go back on any of my decisions?"

    "No, you do not, howeve-"

    "Yeah, I''m the one who drove him crazy. He stood there yelling at me because I wouldn''t spare some villagers in this supposed sanctum of nature out in the middle of the vast north like I was going to change my mind. So I had my men go pick up his wife, what was her name, Francesca? Then, I brought her here and had them hold him down and watch as I beat the life out of her. That was the only person he cared about, he wouldn''t even shut up about her while trying to argue with me. How many family members do you want to watch die?"

    Thankfully she''s not speaking anymore. Looking to the side again, I''m pretty sure I see a tear or two. What a shame.

    "Now go back to your groom and thank him for protecting you."

    He''s just standing there flailing, babbling about something I couldn''t care less about. He keeps on saying my name and then his dead wife''s, mixed in with some other words I only hear from the bishops on Preightfiel.

    I''ll have to call in the seamstress to make me a new coat after this. At least I made the gloves red.

    Of course, everyone else gathers around the moment I shove my fist through his stomach. Rumors about me being a maniac are already giving me trouble with Dad, and I''d rather not get screamed at after winning another battle. I''ll just give him some poetic line.

    "The weak and the damned are not alike, they are one and the same. You tried to challenge my authority, but you were too weak." I leaned in before the last line. "I do hope this hurts."

    He''s just sitting there lying on the ground, still babbling. Somehow through all of this, he''s kept his creepy wide smile on his face. Even while choking on his own blood, he''s looking up and grinning from ear to ear.

    Well, one less future argument I have to sit through.