Solkyr was looking at himself in the hand mirror Zhu gave him. His red hair was fluttering in the sea wind, and his only eye remaining was looking fixedly at the piece of cloth hiding the burned side of his face. He had been considering removing the piece of cloth the last few days he had been on the ship, but maybe because he was scared, he didn’t dare to do it.

After dozens of seconds, Solkyr finally looked away from the hand mirror, as he put it away in one of his large pockets. Zhu gave him high-quality clothes, similar to those he wore, and if someone didn’t know of Solkyr’s origins, he could think he was some kind of noble child. As he looked around him, he saw crew members moving around, at the orders of Zhu, and he was nearly pushed by one of them moving hurriedly and not seeing the small child.

Solkyr decided to go down into the boat, so as not to bother the crew, and he decided to go see the other refugees. He had seen them for the last few days, as they were eating together with Zhu, but he wasn’t much of a talker, and neither were they. Most of them were unresponsive as if they were still in the Burning City, the vision of their loved ones dying overwhelming their souls.

There were also some children, but Solkyr wasn’t able to befriend them, as they seemed to be somewhat scared of him. Maybe because he wasn’t as sad as them and the others, or maybe they were scared by what was hidden under the right side of his face. Nonetheless, life on the boat was boring, but at least, it was safe.

As the sun started to go down, refugees gathered to eat as Zhu was thinking about what to cook for tonight. The ship was quite big, and Zhu even had his chef, which was very rare even amongst rich sailors, though to be fair, Solkyr didn’t know who Zhu truly was.

Solkyr was seated directly next to Zhu, but before everyone could eat, Zhu wanted to speak to all the refugees.

“As you know, we will soon arrive at Renmen, tomorrow I think. Renmen is a free city, it is not under the influence of the Pantheon, so if you decide to stay there, you will be safe. You will also be granted jobs so that you can begin anew, I will see to it myself by speaking with Lord Elrak, I swear on the name of the Xiliu clan. Let’s give a toast to your new life !”

Many faces lighted up around the tables, as Zhu gave them hope, even if some were still unresponsive, many lifted their cups in the air and started to drink with enthusiasm. Zhu took care to talk with every refugee and tried his best to liven them up. After having talked with everyone, he finally went to Solkyr.

“So, what are you going to do little Solkyr ?”

“What am I going to do? What do you mean by that ?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to stay at Renmen, or if you were still interested in following me to the Jade Empire.”

“I have no one else but you, I don’t have any friends or family among the refugees, I prefer to stay with you. By the way, what is this ‘Xiliu clan’ you spoke of ?” Solkyr said directly looking into Zhu’s eyes with a curious gaze.

“You are surprisingly rational. Well, It is my clan, my full name is Xiliu Zhu. You might not know it, but we are the most powerful clan along the Jade Bay !” Zhu said without concealing his pride.

“What’s a clan ?” Solkyr asked the proud Qiuren.

“Well, It’s difficult to explain, but I will teach you some Qiuren history tonight before you go to sleep, so be ready !” Zhu said with a happy tone, as he winked at Solkyr, and went to speak to other people, letting Solkyr eat in peace.

A few hours later, Solkyr was waiting for Zhu in his room. The last time someone told him a story was his father before he went to fight in the war. Now, Zhu would teach him something new, Qiuren history. Zhu entered the room with one book, Solkyr couldn’t read what was written on the cover, as it was written in an unknown language, and even if it wasn’t, he didn’t know how to read. Solkyr laid down on his bed, as Zhu sat next to him, and opened the tome.

“This is a Qiuren History book, if you are interested, I will read some parts to you on our way to Xiliu. I trust you will listen.” Zhu said with a smile, as he could see Solkyr’s interest.

“A long time ago, the first Jade Emperor was born among the Qiurens. The Jade Emperor is a divine being chosen by the Astral Dragon, a great dragon who roams the great sky above, it is the most sacred being in our beliefs. This first Jade Emperor is known as the Dawn Emperor, and he was the one who unified all Qiuren under one Empire. He laid the foundations of our system, most importantly, the Clan and Sect System. On one hand, you have what we call the clans. The clan is most and foremost, a family. We believe that family is paramount, we will do everything for our family, and our family will do everything for us. There is a strict hierarchy inside a clan, the most important person is the Clan Patriarch or Matriarch, which is the head of the family and is responsible for every major decision. The Patriarch must come from what we call the Main branch. What is considered the Main branch differs between every clan, but it is generally the descendants in the most direct line of succession of the Founding Patriarch or Matriarch. We then have Cadet Branches, who hold less power in the family, but are still present nonetheless. In my case, I am a member of the main branch.”

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“Then, there is the Sect system. A sect is similar to Human Knightly orders, as blood or family is not important, but your abilities are. The Sect Leader is generally the most powerful member of his sect, and he is considered the Supreme Master of everyone under him. His goal is to teach every member so that they become more powerful, and the Sect’s prestige and influence increase.”

“Even though there can sometimes be conflicts between clans and sects, they often work hand in hand to solve problems. It is often said that Clans rule the people, while the Sects protect them.”

“There are a few important sects near my clan, such as the Red Hand Sect, which was founded by a Qiuren who lived in Renmen centuries ago. His sect is probably one of the most powerful in our area, and some Humans joined it in the past.”

“If I understand, Clans are more closed, and Sects more open ?” said Solkyr in an inquiring tone.

“You could see it like that, but It is not exactly like that. Even if you are not from the family of a clan, it is always possible to join one, but I guess we should talk about it later.”

Zhu continued to talk about the other clans and sects present around the vicinity of the Xiliu, and finally, after some time had passed, he closed the book.

“I think it is enough for tonight, I will let you sleep. Have a good night Solkyr !” Zhu stood up from Solkyr’s bed and went to the desk to extinguish the flame inside the lantern.

“Good night Zhu …” said Solkyr. He was quite tired, but his head was full of curiosity. He wanted to learn more about Qiuren's history, and slowly, as he thought about all of that, he started to enter into a deep sleep.

[A good night of sleep later]

Solkyr woke up as he heard someone shout with all his lung power, probably from the bridge of the boat.

“Island in sight !”

When he heard that, Solkyr quickly stood up from his bed, and quickly went to the bridge to see Renmen. When he arrived, he was not the only one who wanted to see the island, as for many, it would soon be their new home. Around the island, many ships were seemingly protecting it. The sails were green in color, with an emblem depicting two daggers crossing each other.

Soon, one of these boats sailed toward their ship, and its captain asked Zhu, who he was, what was he there for, and other questions Solkyr didn’t care much about. The boat then went back to the island, and Zhu’s ship was authorized to dock at Renmen’s port.

Zhu gathered the refugees and told them to wait on the ship. He made an exception though, and he told Solkyr to come with him to see Lord Elrak.

It was the middle of the day, and the port was filled with merchants, sailors, and other people. Some of them seemed to be worried, while others had a pretty nonchalant attitude. Zhu and Solkyr were led by a group of Renmen soldiers into the center of the city, where the Palace of the Elrak was located.

On the way to the palace, Zhu taught a few things to know about the Elrak to Solkyr. The Elrak family is an old family, which rose to prominence during the life of Karion Elrak, the “Jade Explorer”. Karion explored the northern and western coasts of Seylenthea, and he became rich when he brought back exotic goods from places far away, such as the western part of the Jade Empire, or the Island of Gehenna. The Humans named the sea from Armithris to Xiliu in his honor, the Elrak Sea. The story of his voyages is recorded in the “Chronicle of Karion”, which is still popular to this day. After the death of Karion, his descendants progressively became more influential on Renmen, until they became the Lord-Archon of the City, a hereditary position, that they held for nearly two centuries.

The current head of the Elrak family is Jacques Elrak, the most powerful merchant of the Elrak Sea, as his family was granted the right to trade with the Empire by the Jade Emperor in person.

Solkyr listened attentively to what Zhu was telling him, but he also looked at the city around him, as it was the first time he saw a city other than Armithris. The architecture was a mix of Qiuren and Humans, giving the whole place a very exotic look.

“We have arrived, Lord Elrak will receive you shortly.” Said one of the soldiers after the group had walked for a dozen minutes.

The exterior of the palace was truly magnificent, a great garden with all kinds of flowers, blue, pink, yellow, and all the colors of the rainbow, and colorful trees made it seem like some kind of magical forest of fairy tales. A big flag was flowing over the roof of the palace, the same symbol and color Solkyr saw earlier on the boat sails. The palace in itself was made of marble, which gave it a very lavish look.

Soon enough, a tall and slender man approached Zhu and Solkyr, with at his side what seemed to be knights, as well as two children who were hiding behind him.

“Ah, good afternoon friend Zhu. How are you doing these days? It has been some time since we last saw each other.” Said the tall man joyfully.

“Lord Elrak,” said Zhu while bowing down, and pressing Solkyr to do the same. “It has been a long time indeed, yet I fear I’m not here to bring you positive news, I would like to speak to you in private about a few things.” Zhu continued with a serious tone.

“Well, of course, I’m always available to speak with my good friends of the Xiliu clan. Who is this child beside you ?” Lord Elrak said while directly looking at me.

“His name is Solkyr. Let’s say he is my … protégé” Zhu answered the Lord.

“Well, while I’m talking to Zhu, you and my children should play together in the gardens.” Elrak said, as he ‘unveiled’ his two children hiding behind him.

The two of them were a bit younger than Solkyr and looked nearly identical, one was a boy, and the other a girl.

“This one is Varion” Lord Elrak said while pointing at the boy “And this is Kasla” while pointing at the girl.

“I hope you will get along.” He continued as if he was happy his children finally had some company of their age.

“They certainly will,” said Zhu, while looking me in the eye. It was certainly one of the reasons he brought Solkyr with him on his visit to the Lord. The two adults went away, and Solkyr could see the aura around them become more and more serious as they moved away from the children.

End of Chapter 2