Amel returned to the Grove, the usual bandits being stationed in place for guard duty. He simply glanced at them, and they stepped away from the entrance. Inside, Ermem and Femel were having arguments about their next place to raid. They didn’t even notice him stepping in and heading for his room, he preferred it like that.
Once inside his room, he placed himself on the bed and started to think. ‘I would need to get rid of these bandits, take Ermel if possible and head for Thranes, where I was told we will head once every soldier has gathered,’ he let a bit more of the light course through his mind. He needed as many of his constructs around the Grove and city before he left with the other soldiers and Femel. If these bandits were going to make a move on them, so that he wouldn’t leave, since his uses were held in high regard, he would have to fight them. He didn’t want for a fight to erupt since that would put him in a further, unfavorable light for the other soldiers and those which were going to command him and his brother. If possible, he would’ve liked it for things to go unnoticed by both parties and reach his goal.
He understood that unexpected situations may occur, given the high degree of variables present to him, but he still attempted to anticipate them all inside his mind. This took mere moments, as his mind surpassed by many degrees that which he had twelve years ago. The alterations of systems he implemented, reached such a high point of accuracy and speed, that he would need some time after he managed all the simulated circumstances to absorb the information inside his brain. He was, however, working on a further, improved system, that was going to replace his signals inside the brain, the exchange of information between his neurons, with rays of light, being able to transport far faster and more information than his flesh mind could. That was a working project he had for the past five years, as his brain, to his blessing and disadvantage in these circumstances, was far too complex and large to tackle on a short period of time. He was making steady progress, as he managed to replace some of these connections with light, but there were still trillions more to be changed, and so a system to replace them for him without losing information was necessary.
With that being said, his current system was still good enough to anticipate most events that could take place in the even that his plans may not go as he wished. He spread the instructions to his constructs, then lift himself up from the bed and started to walk around the Grove, making it seem as if he was looking for some materials or something else. He was trying to find an opportunity to bump into Femel, so he could implant him with the information through his light. While Femel didn’t possess a light of his own, his brain was still able to receive information from Amel and his light, as long as direct contact was available, unlike what he could do to others and connect strands of light to theirs in order to send information. His message should be compact, in order for Femel to understand both the urgency and necessity to leave.
Finally, Ermel was done talking, looking towards the entrance frustrated, as Femel didn’t budge from going to the farms, instead of the city as Ermel wanted. This was also per Amel’s request, since Ermel was already on the watch list, and being taken away by Amel, meant that the city would be one guard even more so than before. Amel saw the opportunity and took it, he let a construct get on his way to make the fall seem more natural. Femel sensed his brother and caught him before hitting his head, Amel could always count on that. He imprinted the information in his mind immediately, coursing it through his arms, up his neck and reaching his brain.
In the fraction of a second, Femel had the words “Time of war is upon us,” and immediately knew what that meant.
6 years ago
The night was raging on with a storm. Amel and Femel were deep inside a forest, no place to hide or fire to warm them, the two brothers struggled against the cold. Amel’s constructs were still not good enough to withstand the effects of the storm, and Olm and Og have been disassembled by Amel. He had a new system in mind, which would give birth to Alpha later on. But for that night, they had to cover themselves with the broken pieces of wind blown constructs and warm themselves up. Amel had the light within him, which gave him some sort of warmth during the night, but Femel didn’t possess it, thus had it harder against the weather.
Amel saw his brother trying to fall asleep, he couldn’t let it happen, for if he did, they might be found and killed. They were hunted by a group of mercenaries in the name of Mou. Their name reached a level of notoriety that Mou couldn’t ignore anymore, even though they were eight, respectively six, years of age. “Keep awake, brother. Keep awake and remember this night, this is because of what our enemy has done to us. Keep it deep inside your heart and let it take root, the hate for our enemies, the Foolish King and Amshaow,” the words of his brother were warm, heated even, with hate so deeply seated in his soul and mind, that it scared Femel at times. However, the warmth, the heat behind those words, are what Femel though kept his brother warm, unaware of the blessing he didn’t possess.
“Our enemies, we shall kill. Our enemies, we shall vanquish…” the smaller boy repeated words which his brother spoke at night, when he thought Femel was asleep. Amel looked surprised at him, that he remembered them, for he spoke them when he was merely three years of age.
“That’s right brother, we must kill them, and only then we can find peace. Only then, I promise you, we will have our kingdom to rule, people to lead and rules to follow,” his words came from somewhere even deeper. A wish which surpassed that of hate. It was one for warm days inside a large house and plentiful of food. “We will kill them so we can live.”.
Present
They’ve spent long night talking on how they were going to kill the Foolish King and Umshaow. Brewing plans and simulating scenarios. Amel knew the Foolish King was strong, so strong that it took the First Six twelve long years to prepare. So he did as well, prepared for a battle which he would be sure to win. But this wasn’t the time, he needed more time, resources and much more powerful construct just to deal with the Foolish King, let alone Umshaow. It wasn’t that he didn’t expect it to take long, but he didn’t expect for the war to come so soon after it seemed it would take another ten years. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t make it work, it meant that his power alone would no longer suffice, so he had to consider supporting the First Six, instead of trying to claim the Foolish King’s head for himself. It wasn’t something he would like, especially with Mou, who was a person he wanted to avoid if possible, but willing to kill if he stayed in his way to success.
“Be careful brother, you wouldn’t want to hurt yourself, not now that we have so much work to do,” a seemingly friendly exchange, with a smile on his face, letting Amel know that he got the message and knew what he meant.
“Yes, I’ve just been more tired as of late,” it was a coded message, telling Femel that ‘time was short’. Femel blinked twice, no one to see besides Femel, as Ermel ignored the small accident and went outside, where he met some other bandits returning to the Grove.
“Do you need me, to bring something to you?” the question was aimed differently in their language, ‘is there something we need before leaving?’.
“No, I’m fine. I just need to go look for someone,” his message translated to, ‘I need to bring someone else along,’ Femel glanced where Ermel left through, which was followed by Amel nodding slightly.
“Let me help you find them,” which meant ‘Let’s go.’. Amel looked in his brother’s eyes, nodded slightly, and both were leaving the Grove. He willed a few constructs to bring some of his stuff once he was gone, then left with many other constructs from around the forest once he was some distance away from the Grove. He announced the soldier that was gathering other people that he will bring his brother, and some other company. The soldier didn’t know what he meant by it, but still accepted it. He also promised that no harm would come for those which he brought along, as more people meant a larger army, something which the soldier was tasked with, no matter the age and such.
From behind Amel and Femel, a taller construct came along running, he was carrying Ermel in his arms. “You should just say that you need me,” Ermel said annoyed, seeing as the construct wasn’t going to let go of him.
“It is of high urgency and we can’t allow the others to hear, so you’ll have to shut up, trust me and let me take us somewhere,” Ermel didn’t like the way he worded his actions he was about to take, but it wasn’t as if he had a say in it. If Amel wanted, he could bring him along in one way or another. So he just sit silently, let the construct carry him as Amel rode his horse-like construct, got from one point along the way, and Femel ran along, no sweat running on him while running at a speed similar to that of a horse.
They rode for hours, then, out of the forest and in front of the city. Ermel didn’t know what to think, starting to panic, but Amel and Femel were calm, which told him something wasn’t right. Normally, they would already be attacked by dozens of guards and soldiers, but nothing seemed to happen besides the ugly look some people were giving them. “What have you done? Why are we not being attacked?”.
Amel proceeded to explain to Ermel what happened, and saw the scope of his plan. He knew that the other bandits won’t be happy to know that their source of food and income had left with the two most capable men in the camp, but he didn’t care. He was using the bandits to live and further himself, Amel was the one whom he was chasing after, in order to become more than a once farmer, then bandit. He was certain that, by following this man in the skin of a boy, he would reach some place higher than all his prior generations had hoped to.
The three of them then met the two soldiers that were gathering people. Only a few dozen more had remained after they saw Amel enrolling for it, and Femel and Ermel being present, made the rest of them even more unhappy. “I hope your company is worth two hundred men, Amel” the soldier said with snark, from high up his horse.
“I assure you,” he closed his eyes, the light behind his pupils shining through, which scared the soldier, as he wasn’t aware that Amel was at the rank of a Master of Light, which would put him high above in the military ranking. “That my company is more worth than a thousand of your men and more,” the ground shook violently once he spoke his words. From below the earth, somewhere inside the forest, Omega had been awakened. The soldiers and people drafter, watched in horror as the one hundred metere tall, fifteen metres wide colossal construct rose from the ground, watching them from high above with hollow eyes, dug roughly by other constructs.
Then, to the soldiers’ further horror, from within the forests, dozens, soon to be hundreds, of constructs appeared. Various sizes, heights and pieces constructed an army. “Actually, make that a few thousand, and I will say we’re more than worth the men you just lost,” he pointed behind. The soldiers saw the people running, including those which remained after the drafting. “Let us go now, I’m dying to fight in this war,” Femel showed a similar feeling on his face, and Ermel was smiling awkwardly.
“R-right. Let us go then,” in his mind, the soldier was appealing to his rationale to not run away from the scene presented before him. ‘It defies all logic! King Mou warned us of the kid, but he grossly underestimated him!”. To them, the people of Amouldes, such constructs were never seen even from Mou, who only used his for construction work. But Amel’s were purposed to kill, to attack and destroy. It was a different kind of approach to the machines which were supposed to support the human society, not attempt destroy it.
Given the times which were to follow though, the soldier couldn’t help but smile while not looking at anyone. He could only imagine the words of praise he would receive for drawing such a large force when faced with the danger ahead. Not the mention, one of the larger criminals in this side of Domaire, was with him. Meaning, once the war was done, he would be credited for bringing a notorious criminal to justice. He could already feel the showers of gold, praise and more for this.
Amel could read the man like an open book. His light revealed so much about his inner thoughts, that he was surprised he wasn’t telling them straight to the face that he was going to use them. He didn’t care however, he only wished for them to arrive in Thranes before the bandits would catch up to them. He didn’t want to kill them, since he thought that that might get added to the list of crimes he did, and he didn’t know what was known and what wasn’t. So the necessity to contribute to the war, wasn’t known to him in which capacity it should be done for.
Femel had no idea of the inner games that was going between his brother and the soldier, but had a vague idea of the soldier’s intentions based on the smile he produced, his eyes sharp enough to see from odd angles and far away. He also noticed the way he trembled, not out of fear for Omega and the other constructs, but excitement. ‘A greedy man, how unsightly,’ he thought to himself, containing a laugh in himself, for thinking on how stupid the man will look once he will see that him and Amel will come out of the war with badges of honor and absolved of all their crimes.
Their road began eastwards from where they were, then they would head a bit northwards, so they could cross the bridge at the river, and then move nort-eastwards, until the canal that ran from the Lakenes lake and into the sea. Their first major stop being in Winlakes, city of Kinlakes. For Femel, this expedition would already prove exciting. Never before did they have to travel, and his life so far has been spent in the confines of Tainas, the forest and the lake. Seeing new lands, a river for the first time and such, were all things he wasn’t ready for, yet so excited to see.
Amel didn’t care for any of these things. His focus was solely inside his mind, where he devised a bunch of plans for their road. There were some dangerous creatures on their way towards Winlakes, from what he read in the books. He was surprised that there were only two soldiers which came to Tainas, as he read that there were some large, wild beasts, by the name of grey lions, living at the bottom of mountains, and preying on pretty much anything around, apex predators. Whether they were that strong, or they simply lost the bulk of their group when crossing the river and on their way there, Amel wasn’t going to let it up to chance. His constructs, four hundred in number, were behind them. Groups of ten for each generation he build up to this point. Omega was standing the furthest behind. If something showed ahead of them, which he couldn’t deal with, Amel, Femel and Ermel could all return to Omega, reassuring their backs. Of course, this was a last resort, as all the construct present, were only half. He wanted to show off to the soldiers, and also hide the true scope of his powers. The other half had been travelling at a steady pace since before they left Tainas, when him and Femel were exchanging coded messages and glances. The first half was taken from parts where the bandits wouldn't notice. The second half, once he left with them, was sure to alarm the bandits and warrant a search for them. But that didn’t matter much to Amel, even if they managed to somehow get close to them, he had planted a bunch of small constructs on his path so far, and would continue to do so. These constructs would peek from within the ground up, and scour the environment of any activity. They weren’t complex and only sent simple impulses which Amel had to mainly interpret. But they were doing their job fine.
The second half of his forces were already encountering a bunch of grey lions and other beasts along the way. They would mainly avoid killing any of them, as they had their role in the ecosystem, and would make them change direction from their path or bait them somewhere far away.
“Odd,” the soldier, by the name of Merkeas, the one who recruited Amel, said. “There should’ve been some more of those, what they’re called, grey lions?”. The casual tone which he spoke about them, raised an eyebrow from Amel. They didn’t seem worried. Was it because of his constructs, or because he was confident he could confront the lions? What sort of soldiers was Thranes training, is what Amel wondered.
“They must’ve run away, all of them,” the other soldier, by the name of Eranel, said. “After what we’ve done to those four, I’m sure the others wouldn’t dare travel around for a while,” so that was it. These two were strong enough to deal with four grey lions by themselves. Looking more careful at them, Amel could see the scars of swords and battle on their skin, where the armour revealed some. He was growing more curious and fond of these people. If these soldiers, sent on such a tedious mission, were so strong, then how much stronger would the commanders, generals and finally, Hran the Mighty and Hran Thranes? The answers to these questions had to wait around a month, the time which would take them to travel from Amouldes to Thranes. However, that was only by foot and horseback. Once in Winlakes, they would go east and to a port, from where they would take a ship and travel in just a day to Thranes. This venture taking less than a week in total. Amel had never travelled by ship or boat before. He was on the lake on a small boat, but that was about it, same for Femel. So he didn’t think about that, and instead had the long road ahead in mind, spreading his other half of constructs along the road, letting them take care of dangers and ensure their path forward.
“It’s Omega,” Femel broke it down to the soldiers. He seemed to get acquainted even with those greedy ones, who were listening intently to Femel’s words. “It doesn’t take much for something wild or smart to understand that if you approach it, you won’t be alive the very next moment,” his words making the two soldiers swallow dry, glancing back at Amel who was listening to their conversation while spending time in his mind, his eyes glowing and letting out a spark then and now.
“What is he doing now?” Merkeas asked, intrigued and terrified by Amel. He looked into his eyes, waved his hand and saw no reaction.
“He’s thinking,” Femel crossed his arms as he answered, riding the horse given to him as if natural. There weren’t many horses these two soldiers could afford, but given their small entourage, it would be the wiser to just buy two and tab the commander in charge of them for those. “Hundreds of constructs, the complex systems, patterns and information he gathers, he has to think them all, apply them and understand them,” Femel was knowledgeable of his brother’s powers, even if he couldn’t understand them much at all. Amel wanted his brother to be at least half as smart as he was, for in their world, the raw strength which he was blessed with, wouldn’t be enough. That would stand true for his young years, but later on, Femel could be said that would be able to take care of himself with muscle alone.
“Does he do it often? The eye thingy?” Eranel asked. He was getting shivers looking into Amel’s eyes.
“Yes, I do it often enough,” Amel’s answer made the two jump, Femel laugh. He knew his brother could hear them all along, he was doing that with whomever he could, it would be their favourite joke to play on others. “I even think about you two as part of this group and what would happen if you fought with my constructs, how many you could take down… how many it would take me to kill you two,” the last part made Femel stiff, knowing that his brother wasn’t joking. The two soldiers smiled awkwardly, then saw the tension surrounding them. They realised that, perhaps, Amel might be more aware of their schemes than they originally thought. “I won’t kill you two, as long as you don’t give me reason to. Just understand that, me and my brother, have been through a lot. Some two soldiers who have shallow thoughts of rewards based on our skins, would need to think a thousand more years before hoping to get anything,” and his words, spoken with such outrage, were factual. The two could feel it, Femel knew he meant it. These people couldn’t even glance upon the heigh which these two were raising to.
“But anyway, tell me about Thranes. What do you people do there? Is it true that you train from day till night and only eat meat?” the boy was acting more his age, in order to release the tension which his brother produced. Even if these soldiers wanted nothing more than to reap the rewards for bringing them to the general and then have them executed, Femel couldn’t find it in himself to hate corrupt souls, not when he only spent time with those as such, except for Amel and Ermel who switched his demeanour before he was aware of his past.
“Partly true, yes. We train from morning until night, with these” he pulled out his longsword, Femel watched with fascination. While he tried a few weapons for himself, he never got his hands on a longsword like the one this soldier held. Nor he could. Those weapons were only made in Thranes, and Amouldes had a strict policy for weapons, even though they were one of the main providers of ores. The edge of the sword was sharp as a razor, while the length felt as if it was touching the sun, a shine all along it. “We eat more than meat though,” he sheathed his sword, slightly shy that he was getting those eyes from the boy taller than him. “We also enjoy some luxuries from the capital, as we serve there. The women are beautiful and kind, while the ale and people are good and fun,” the soldier would keep on telling Femel stories of his beloved city. Tales of fights the man had with other people in inns, how him and this other soldier, his friend, were spending their youths on the guarded streets and throwing stones at the training soldiers, that would then chase them through the alleys.
“I wish I could’ve been born in Thranes. Seems like my kind of place. Amouldes has its beauty, yet it feels more like something Amel would enjoy,” the soldiers saw the sorrow on the boy’s face. He could never run naked on the stone streets, chase girls and eat until he couldn’t anymore. Those were some of the many things which Amshaow took away from generations of children that were and to be.
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“Don’t wish for which you wouldn’t have had,” Amel reminded his brother of some words he spoke to him long ago. “Wish for which you can attain, which you can have. That is what we should wish for,” his eyes ceased their glow, looking his brother in the eyes, the soldiers watching the two. Ermel was organising the constructs better, as Amel would find it easier upon his mind when someone else helped with that. He saw them talking, the two wild kids he found in that house long ago, with people who were more closer to what these two should’ve been with. He felt in his heart, a sense of sadness, that the world made them who they were, for him, they felt like family, even though Amel held a dagger at his heart, it made him better, committed to his path to follow the boy and his brother.
“Let us not wish for what we could’ve had, and set our sights onto the future,” he spoke to all of them. The soldiers felt as if there was some underlying message or meaning behind his words. Whether he warned them to diverge from the path they wanted to take and subject those two to, or that they should follow their example, they were unsure.
The first day of travel went well, no beasts or dangers lurking anywhere. They advanced at a good pace, and as the sun settled, the soldiers started to make a small camp where the two of them could spend the night. Amel, Femel and Ermel would make a camp of their own, surrounded by the many constructs, Omega looming in the far distance. The soldiers wanted to discuss matters of their own, and didn’t trust someone with so much power as Amel. Femel also had a sense of strength to him. Something about his friendly nature and calm demeanour, also scared the soldiers, for they couldn’t find it in themselves to hate the criminal.
“My constructs tell me the path ahead is safe. Some seemed to have noticed something at the bridge, below the waters,” Amel was bitting from some meat a construct brought and another cooked. Femel and Ermel did the same after him. “Whatever is below the water, if my second and third generation can’t handle them, I will send in Omega, so don’t stand nearby. And don’t let those two know about it. If they’re not aware of whatever dangers lurk around, I don’t consider them fit to follow us.”.
“But if we go without them, won’t the commander put it on our heads?” Ermel asked, while Femel kept on eating, not paying too much attention to the conversation, he knew that his brother’s plan was good enough, they always were.
“I have a friend in Thranes. If he’s around, he will vouch for me. And if he isn’t, at least, they will have to wait until he returns, and we’ll still be fine,” the reassurance made Ermel relax. “With that being said, Ermel, what do you think? If you trained, would you be able to be at least as strong as one of those soldiers?” Amel wanted to test him, both physically and mentally.
“I don’t think so, no,” the past criminal confessed. “I’ve spent, what now, years farming, then more than I could remember stealing and looting. There is no way I could see myself become at least a half decent soldiers as those, not in the short amount of time until the war.”. Amel liked that, his brutal honesty.
“Then my constructs will aid you in the war,” Amel bit on his meat, a calculated bite. “I need all of us to gain recognition in the war to follow, so we can be excused of our crimes,” Ermel figured as much, he just didn’t know if it was feasible with him around. “I’m sure you’re worried about your own abilities and whether or not you will be able to gain anything worth enough to excuse your long years of crime. But I assure you,” Amel extended his hand on his shoulder, looking a lot older than his age would suggest, “stay by my side, and only good will come,” that, Ermel could be sure of, so he smiled genuinely to him.
“And I!” Femel rose up, looking at the starry sky. “I will fight my way to the top! I will command large armies of men, and defeat Umshaow, and make our own kingdom where those which had to result to crime, won’t be abolished for it!” the other two giggled, it was a dream, a far away dream which no human could hope to achieve in their lifetime. But looking at those two, someone could say that “Maybe it’s possible,” as one of the soldiers dropped an ear.
The following morning they would pack their things and start riding once more. Femel would try to bond with the soldiers some more, since there wasn’t much he could talk with Amel and Ermel, but he would find himself with a could shoulder given by them. He didn’t understand why, but the soldiers weren’t as communicative as yesterday. He was a bit frustrated for a while, then he got busy with the plants and sights before him. These vast lands which started to narrow as they approached the river which was flowing into the sea, mesmerised the inexperienced eyes of the young boy. Amel would spend his time coordinating the constructs. They were three days ahead of them, and kept putting distance between. While it would prove a bit of an issue later, for that time, it was a good approach for the landscape before them.
The second day would go by without an issue, the night as well, and the third day would come by. Amel gathered around thirty constructs at the bridge where movement has been seen below the bridge, into the waters. He couldn’t let any construct go in there, since they were made of wood and metal, the metal dragging them inside the body of water. They could only observe, as the depth of the water was unclear, the water being murky in colour.
The two soldiers were picking up the pace slightly on their horses, as if ready to run at any moment. Both of them noticed, Ermel busy with the constructs, keeping them in check since they were acting semi-independently. The two brothers exchanged glances and muted words. They didn’t know what the soldiers were up to, but if they tried to run away, Femel would bring about their end. It wasn’t Femel’s first time killing humans, but wasn’t something he would do unless forced to. And given their behaviour, Femel started to feel forced to take some sort of action. Amel gestured him to calm down, his constructs ready to take both their lives before Femel could, so to not place more crimes on top of his brother’s head.
The two soldiers noticed the aggressiveness of those two. They started to think that they suspected them of trying to run away. While they would’ve liked to assure them that that wasn’t the case, saying it to them could only incriminate them further. What they hurried for, was the midday. There was only a small time frame during the midday during which the passage of the bridge would be safe. And due to noon being soon upon them, and still not seeing the spark of the river’s water, they started to panic a little.
Amel read their lights, he could understand that they wanted to run, but not from them, something else, perhaps ahead. While he couldn’t know what they thinked, he could at least be sure that they didn’t want to run away from them, and that was enough for him to stay calm.
Once noon came about, so did the sight of the river. The two soldiers looked relieved, then confused when they saw numerous figures at the bridge already. Once closer, they could see those were Amel’s constructs. “I thought those were all of them, you had more?” Eranel asked from Amel, who stood behind them.
“It’s not like I said those were all, just the company I brought with me,” the two soldiers didn’t like how he could hide more of these anywhere. It meant that, even if they managed to run away from them, some more could be laying in wait in some other place, a terrifying thought. “Anyway, let’s cross the bridge, you seem really willing to do it, right?”. He read their intentions, and they simply nodded, a serious expression on their faces.
“What is in the river?” Femel asked, as the pace of the horses hurried. He could see the movements in the water better than the constructs from that distance, there was something large in there.
“We don’t know what it is, we just know that some time ago, it swam from the ocean inside the river, and has been residing in there ever since. Seems like it likes the fishes from the river,” Mearkes said. “We also know, from King Kinak, that it doesn’t like the noon periods, so we must cross for as long as the sun is up on the middle of the sky,” he continued his explanation. It made sense to Femel, and Amel didn’t notice any waver of the light, just a slight trembling when speaking of the creature, a sign that they were afraid of whatever it was.
“Let us hurry then,” Amel said, wanting to confront the creature though with Omega, test the construct’s strength on something larger than mere humans. The other constructs were following at a running pace behind them, Ermel standing by the side of Femel, all of them riding in a horizontal line.
Finally, they were at the bridge, the sun a little bit past noon. “Hurry, don’t waste any movement,” Ernel said. While he didn’t like how scared these soldiers were, Amel did as told, and crossed the river first, one by one even though the bridge could fit all of them and some. Apparently it was in order to not make too much noise, the creature that lived below the bridge, sensitive to sound and light alike. He stopped a moment at the middle of the bridge, glanced below where he could see the deceptive shadow of the creature stretching along the river in all directions. Whatever it was, it might’ve been just as long as Omega was in height. He really wanted to test Omega against this then, but thought of his brother being in danger, so he kept moving.
Following was one of the soldiers. If the creature was going to take one of them away, it would be either one of the three or the two soldiers. Then Ermel, Femel and finally Merkeas. “Good, let’s just go no-” before he could finish, the splash of water could be heard behind. Noon was a bit more past them, and the creature active. They were on the other side already, so they simply walked in silence some distance, then went on their way. Amel, however, still had his constructs to pass, and given that the creature wasn’t interested in them, he thought to let them pass, then have Omega deal with the creature. And so it happened, the four hundred constructs, joined with the other thirty at the bridge, for a total of four hundred and thirty, passed. Omega then closed onto the river.
As the soldiers were discussing with them the plans to move forward, they heard a loud boom-like noise. Then, the sky turned grey for a moment, and they were covered in something like rain, except it was the river’s water. Amel, after some minutes, gathered the information from Omega, only a few fingers were lost. ‘Good,’ he thought. Omega didn’t have what to practice fighting with, so it only had whatever memories and actions Amel had of Femel fighting. But they were unsuitable for something that moved slower and had much heavier strikes. So this was a golden opportunity for Omega to learn, and Amel wasn’t going to let it go to waste.
The soldiers could figure, in a terrifying scene of Omega’s return, what Amel was capable of. ‘Stronger than a monster,’ one of them thought, ‘could he be as strong as one of the First Six?’ the other wondered. Amel was proud of the results, and sent many constructs to climb Omega and replace his fingers. It would take a few days of constant reconstruction and a lot of his light to infuse back into its stone, but this was a good day for Amel, even cracking a smile at the sight of his construct.
Femel and Ermel were talking casually, seemingly undisturbed by the scenery. The two soldiers were at a loss of words. Their thoughts of fame and money for bringing those two in the capital, finally shattered as they realised that their existence wouldn’t even be noticed once they arrived there.
The road towards Winlakes would continue without much issue. One of the soldiers was bit by a poisonous snake at one point, and thought he might die, but Amel used one of his constructs to cut off the piece of the leg which was bitten. He helped the man recover along the way, providing support with his constructs, and formed a bond with him, one which the soldier felt stronger about that Amel, who only saw it as a necessity in order to reach Thranes without issue.
In Winlakes, they would be presented with the beautiful, rich lands of Kinlakes. Golden fields, far beyond what the eyes could see, houses standing unprotected and surrounded only by small fences. Kids playing in the dirt streets, men and women coming from field work, their sweat and smell of food that accompanied them, pleasing. Femel was entranced, Amel even more so. If there was a kingdom which Amel would’ve wished to been born into, this might’ve been it, especially after the calamity. The people of Kinlakes, thus Winlakes as well, had seen little of the calamity. Only half their population suffering from the disaster, while the other half recovering extremely fast. In the twelve years since the calamity, their population doubled, effectively making Amshaow’s attack pointless.
This wasn’t something Amel would’ve imagined their neighbours would look like. Given the relatively close distance to them, he thought that, much like Amouldes, these people had to go through hell and back in order to make it. But their casual, and seemingly easy lifestyle, made him believe otherwise at first glance. He knew from papers and reports that the kingdom Kinlakes was doing well, even when the other five kingdoms struggled, and even helped Amouldes however they could. But he would never suspect this good.
He breathed in the air, fresh of wet dirt and vegetables being boiled in the various houses. Some men were coming from the ports with sacks filled with fish. While the lands were close to the sea, they were still better for growing foods than most in other kingdoms. Kids would flock to these men, stealing a fish here and there, which the men wouldn’t mind, it was for them to eat afterall. Amel stood astonished, for if he stole just one of those fishes, his hands would’ve been cut and feet burnt. He had been chased for less with knives at his back in Amouldes. When a man with those fishes went by him, he took a fish, trying to see how he would react. The man glanced back, saw he was still a boy, and kept on walking.
“Why aren’t they doing anything to those which steal?” Amel was deeply disturbed by this. It wasn’t natural, he thought. For men to act that way towards a thief. Femel also was amazed by it, stealing a few for himself and smelling them, a sweet aroma about them, even though they came from the salty sea.
“Kinlakes prides itself with its food and the like. Winlakes even more so, as they can grow food and fish for it from the sea,” Mearkes told Amel, coming from behind, and having a slight smile, being pleased that even someone like him, who had the power to kill large monsters like the one from the river, could still be amazed by other humans.
“C’mon, you seem confused. But I’m sure you’ll understand better once we’re inside an inn,” he pointed forward, and at the corner of one of the mane dirt streets, was a tall building, with about three or four floors. As they approached, Amel and Femel would go down their horses, to feel the ground and better appreciate the city around them. This was more like a really large village, given the wooden houses with hay roofs and dirt streets. The ports also looked old and unchanged, ships docking and leaving from them. Femel would grow curious of those ships. There was a port some distance away from Tainas, but since they never had to travel anywhere away from Tainas, he only heard of them from word of mouth. ‘Sea’s horses’ some bandits told him. He heard that when you’re at the front of one, you can feel the winds of the sea, and with them, the sea itself, engulfing your entire being. It was something he would love to experience, and given that they were going to spend a day here, then leave by ship, he had plenty of time and future opportunity to see it for himself.
Amel looked around, saw the many shops for food. ‘Wild boar meat, pig meat, cow meat, gnoll meat, horned rabbit meat. Don’t they have one with all of them?’ he wondered. Passing by them, he saw the reason, each of the shops was filled to the brim. Even that with the horned rabbit meat, that are about the size of his palm. Further, he could see shops which made cloth right there on the front of them. They had plenty of wool and silk from their animals and trade, so that was one of their many other productive businesses. He could also see, towards the centre where four tall towers raised from, a school of sorts. Kids would come out as the night would approach, they were better dressed and didn’t run around like the other kids, watching their step and calculating their movements. ‘They still train kids here,’ Amel thought. He knew from what his mother was speaking with his father at times, and the word of mouth in Tainas, that there used to be schools where talented kids would go to train in becoming Masters of Light. Only two or three kids from the hundreds of gifted ones would be chosen each year. This, however, was left for the past, as the population of most kingdoms, fell to only a tenth of what it used to be. In Kinlakes, given that their population has rose back up, and even before that, kids were still going to these schools. In this time, Masters of Light would die fast, and the need for more knowledge was needed.
While the schools have been dismissed, it didn’t mean some Masters of Light didn’t still exist out there. After the calamity, the few remaining all of a sudden held much greater power than before. With the sudden circumstances, and rapid devolvment of humans into depravity, some of the remaining Masters of Light, have assumed roles of power. It wasn’t out of benevolence, or even personal gain, but simply the feel for power which was only reserved for the First Six. Thus, a new kind of leadership and order had rose up. Calling themselves the Lords of Light, in the twelve years that have passed, some of them have managed to get under them whole sections of towns and villages. While the First Six didn’t like these Lords of Light, people would follow, and many of them. Afraid of what inner could bring about in such dire times, the First Six were forced to acknowledge the Lords of Light as fitting rulers for some of the smaller sections. One of them, by the name of Almaanel the Bright, was known even in Amouldes. He lived in Thranes and had towns Horan, Aroh and Sena under his power. While most other Lords of Light were notorious for being harsh with their people and not taking proper care of the villages and towns they had control over, Almaanel was loved even by the First Six. He was, in fact, one of the reasons as to why the Lords of Light were recognised after ten years since their appearance. While others have drown themselves in power, Almaaner brought new ways of living and conditions for the torn towns he ruled over.
Due to his accomplishments, Almaaner was invited by some of the First Six to have talks with and share some of his experiences and knowledge regarding the ruling. Amel paid close attention to that man’s actions. While it didn’t concern him what others did too much, the fact that the First Six not only took a liking to him, but also entered relations with him, meant that he might have to one day face this virtuous man in his path to establish his own kingdom. For most it would make sense that only the First Six would be to be worried about if it came to that, but Amel took into consideration all the factors in order for him to make his kingdom. And having someone as just and rightful as Almaanel going around, improving people’s lives and such, made someone like him seem like less and less of a candidate for leadership to be accepted by people and the First Six.
The constructs were spread around the forests, there was no point in bringing them into the city, except for a few select ones that would scout and protect Amel, five in number, three of which would stand at his side at all times. People would stop and look at them, especially Amel. His constructs made him stand out. Some thought that he might be Mou, while others thought that he must be one of Mou’s direct descendants. None were right, but Amel wouldn’t offer them an explanation. They were there to rest a bit, then leave for Thranes, where things would start ramping up. Femel would interact with the kids, especially those more of his age. Girls would come and place their hands on the horse. Unbeknown to him, in Winlakes, boys his age who had a horse and were riding, were deemed suitable adults, ready to get married. And given his looks, no girl would feel shy about trying to claim him, and they would do it by placing their hand on the horse. Those which managed to tough the mouth and face of the horse, were thought to be the best, while those going more for the back, were those either more poor or ugly.
Femel, being a natural with people, shook their hands, even took some boys up his horse to let them feel strong. Everyone loved him, from the young to the old. Amel looked at his brother, saw the king he wished Mou to be. His brother didn’t care of their past and how they got where they were, he smiled in the same genuine way to all of them. The soldiers would find themselves laughing at the sight of Femel surrounded by those girls ready to marry him, and him unaware that he was basically considering each of them by shaking their hands. Amel heard them and their laughs, didn’t mind it, he found it a bit funny himself.
Ermel didn’t join the others. He didn’t feel comfortable around so many people. He kept going a bit further, until he reached the inn and waited for them. The people inside the inn got curious themselves of the commotion outside, so left the tables empty. Ermel would choose one which already had a drink on it, and enjoy some of the silence inside the empty room.
After Femel finally shook off the other people, with Amel chasing some kids with his constructs, they arrived at the inn. Seeing Ermel all alone at a table, was no surprise. Femel joined him and started to talk about the people he met and their names, somehow remembering each of them. Amel and the soldiers would buy the rooms, people flooding behind them, trying to get a spot where Femel was going to sleep, especially some young women and some which already had a couple kids of their own. Femel had never time for love, he never knew much about love, beside what his brother gave him since he carried him on his back during the cold nights. So he couldn’t understand the feelings of these girls, the heat state which he provoked to them. Amel had a rough idea of what that love was supposed to be, but never feeling it himself and his heart reserved mainly for hate, he couldn’t help his brother. Ermel gave Femel the talk about women and how he should look at them, given that he was going to live amongst the common folk soon, not having to steal and such for the rest of his life. Femel listened, but still didn’t understand, especially when Ermel started talking of the more intimate aspects.
Amel found deep inside his head, a sudden pain. Something was trying to get out of there. It was the atmosphere around him, the warm, pleasant, familiar atmosphere. For most of his life, he lived in constant danger, without the care and protection of a parent. He’s been forced into adulthood long before his time. Confronted with a familiar situation, that should’ve taken more of his life, Amel found himself conflicted between the cold, logical system which governed his mind, and the warmth of the feelings he had to cast aside. This couldn’t be solved while standing there, so he went up, to the second floor where the soldiers have paid for the rooms. The original plan was for them sleep on the fields with the other recruits, but given that there was only five of them, they bought two rooms in which to sleep.
Amel started to feel dizzy, the sudden shock of all this ‘peace’, hit him so strongly that it messed up his system he intricately designed around logic. ‘Stop, stop, stop. I don’t need this, not yet, not soon,’ he tried to force his feelings back inside the part of his locked away memories. Those weren’t good things to have, no with his constructs, not with the war ahead, he knew that. ‘A day. A day is all I have to endure, then we’ll be gone from here,’ he thought. For other people it would only be a day, for his mind that could think hundreds of times faster than that of a normal human, this could as well take a year for him.
Femel was still below, saw Amel leaving up holding his head. He was somewhat used to Amel having headaches. Sometimes they were due to him trying to replace a part of the system inside his head, sometimes due to too much happening to a lot of the constructs at once. He thought it must be a combination of the two. He spread half his constructs into the forests, and another half around the lands. He also told Femel, that given that the soldiers haven’t mentioned the fact that they would travel by sea, he had to gather them onto some paths towards Thranes. They would arrive about a month after them, and depending on how large the ship was, he might have to leave a lot more behind. Omega would obviously not be fit to come, so it also had to travel by land.
“So listen,” Ermel got his attention again, they were sipping from half-drinked cups of ale. People were taking tables, trying to listen in to their conversation. Ermel didn’t like it, but had to drive the idea inside the young one’s skull. “You will, ‘feel’ something for a woman at one point,” the women present started to listen more intently. “When you do, you must treat her differently than you do your brother, you understand?”.
“Like a pet you mean?” Ermel crashed his head on the table. ‘The kid didn’t have a mother for as long as he can remember, so he doesn’t even have the concept of a woman’s love,’ he thought to himself. “Listen, I don’t know what the deal is. People like me, so why should I treat women differently?”.
“Beca-hmm, you have a good point actually. B-but that doesn’t matter!” he took a large gulp from his cup, started to wiggle his finger around Femel’s face, he was a light drinker. “A woman is someone you dedicate yourself to. Promise her things, and hu-hicc-g her, you understand?”. Femel looked puzzled at the drunk man, gulped his one one go. He wanted more, it barely touched the bottom of his stomach.
“Got it, got it, treat them right. Is that what you’re saying?” he was looking around for some more ale, he didn’t have money on him, Amel thought it would be best if they didn’t bring any of the stolen ones, and maybe make some for themselves in Thranes. A few women jumped to him with a few cups of ale, each holding two or three in their hands. He smiled and thanked them, grabbing them all with both his arms, getting thirteen more drinks for himself. He drank another in one gulp. “And besides, I’m too busy with my brother, you know?” he drank another. “Until we kill the Foolish King,” and another, “and Umshaow,” two at the same time. “I won’t settle for something like a woman,” the people around him thought he must be a drunk boy at this point, saying stuff like that. But Eramel, in his drunk state, could tell he was serious. He heard some of their talk, he knew what these two brothers were aiming for. And while for most it was reasonable to assume it was just the talk of the mad, he believed them. If it was those two, he believed they could do it.
“R-hicc-ight. You tw-hicc-o are something,” Ermel crashed to the table. The soldiers sat by some other table, drinking from their cups while listening. They thought the boy was mad, but then remembered what his brother did to that monster in the river. If this one was as strong or was going to be as strong, then maybe, just maybe, their words would come true. They drank in their name, for the family they lost, the people they saw killed that day. They then approached his table, took Ermel by the arms and went up, waving at Femel.
“They seem to be in a better mood,” Femel told himself. Then, a bunch of young women would try to get the missing spot, fighting a bit over it. “Women, huh,” he drank another two cups.
Up, alone in his room and grasping at his head, laid in bed, Amel struggled against his own mind. The decision to make the numerous systems, each better than the last, meant that he had to cast away most emotions, especially those of empathy and fondness. By doing so, he ensured his system would work on pure logic, and nothing else. Were these feeling to swell back up to the surface, he would find the system fighting against them and the feelings pushing harder against the system. The conflict caused a strange strain on his brain. It was between pain and tightness, something pressing against his brain while pulling it apart. The pain was getting more unbearable by the minute, as the system fought harder against his feelings.
He couldn’t think, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t do anything against the ongoing battle inside his mind. So, with only his instincts at his disposal, he let go of the system, let the light flow through and out of his mind, no longer contained. Once so, he would burst into crying. The wave of emotions and memories collapsing on one another, forming a torrent of hard to understand pain and anguish. Some hours would pass before he could regain control. The soldiers who wanted to drop Ermel in their room, saw the boy through the crack of a door in a state of such misery, that it made their hearts sink. It only came over them, that this man in the skin of a boy, had lived his life in the harshet conditions. Feeling his mother’s love, but not able to live to understand it, hearing his father’s words, but not having the time to explore their meaning. Those were things which no kid should be subjected to. And the result of such harsh conditions was this. The ugly, miserable pain displayed from this boy.
Amel would recover, reestablishing his system into place. But once he did, it started to fight back the memories and feelings, which were fueled by the peaceful environment. The purpose of the system was to prevent harm from reaching him, and since there was no harm to be had in such a peaceful city, the system would function less and less, until his feelings were able to resurface. Seeing as he had no choice, Amel let go of the system for the time being. For the first time in over twelve long years, his mind would be allowed to see and feel things as they were meant to.