“Ru Meng!” Lan called out.
Lan was sitting by his father’s side. From a distance, Ru Meng could see his father move, lifting his trembling hand ever so slightly. Ru Meng broke into a full sprint. He threw himself to the ground when he reached and grabbed his father's outstretched hand.
“Dad!”
Every time Ru Meng laid eyes on his father, he was struck by how different his father looked from what he remembered to be. When they first found him, his father’s stern, authoritative face was thin and sickly, flesh clinging barely and desperately to bones. The constant knot between his brows had faded entirely, leaving an empty space in its place so wide it felt empty. He looked almost at peace and tranquility. Ru Meng hardly recognized him like that; the man that lay on the ground had the same face as his father but felt like someone from the past, someone he knew from a long, long time ago.
Ru Meng had been waiting for his father to wake up since when they first brought Ru Meng’s father back to the cave. He couldn't stop thinking about it, whether he was working, eating or joking with his newfound friends. What would his father say if he saw him now? Would he be proud of him for what he managed to do? Or perhaps, disappointed for everything he had failed to do? Would he smile? Frown? Scold and punish him?
Somehow, even the thought of his father rising from his slumber to reprimand him gave Ru Meng a strange sense of comfort. At least he would be back with him. Ru Meng’s mood had fluctuated like a flickering flame the entirety of yesterday, something that had not gone unnoticed by his friends, no matter how well Ru Meng tried to hide it. He had been waiting for this moment and now his father was finally waking up.
Ru Meng held his father’s hand firmly.
His father shifted slightly under his sheets and turned his head. Ru Meng was greeted with a pair of murky, glass-like eyes. He was looking at Ru Meng, but it felt like he was looking straight through him, as if he didn’t exist at all. Then, his eyes immediately wandered elsewhere as a horrible, wheezing groan escaped his lips.
“Dad, are you okay?” Ru Meng asked frantically. The absent look from his father chilled him to his core. It frightened him far more than pain or death.
His father replied with a heavy wheeze and flailed his arms about aimlessly, breaking free of Ru Meng’s grasp, as if he was trying to grab onto something.
Ru Meng hastily picked up a bottle of water and tipped it into his father’s mouth. His father spluttered and choked when the water poured down his throat, but after some difficulty, Ru Meng managed to get his father to drink. That seemed to do the trick. The man calmed down and stopped struggling as hard. Instead, he reverted to his unresponsive, nearly comatose state, lying face-up with his eyes wide open. He didn’t respond to anything Ru Meng said or did.
Ru Meng didn’t give up. He kept calling for his father, over and over, as if it was a spell that would magically make him better. His father’s well-being was the only thing Ru Meng was thinking about. It was the only thing he wanted to think about, because behind all that lay a flood of emotions he knew all too well he wasn’t prepared to deal with. Ru Meng stroked his father's forehead and tried to forget that everything was all his fault.
——————————————————————————————
Vardan and Hakimi watched silently from behind, powerless to help in any way. Hakimi walked away. Vardan took a glance at Ru Meng and saw Lan doing his best to console him. He pursed his lips and followed after Hakimi. They still had business to discuss.
“His father’s no help to us in that state,” Hakimi said, steely chill returning to his voice, “And neither is he.”
“He’s just a kid, Hakimi.”
“We all are. And right now, all of us other kids need his help. We need his magic.”
The two boys continued their conversation as they strolled toward the entrance of the cave, away from everyone else.
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Vardan lowered his head in thought and said, “It’s not a bad idea, you know? If we had someone to teach us magic, we will have some way to protect ourselves.”
“Not against the bandits, we don’t. We don't have time. A few days isn’t enough for a bunch of kids to learn magic from scratch. Besides, who’s going to teach us? Certainly not him, the way he is right now,” Hakimi said with a tilt of his head in Ru Meng's direction.
They were quiet for a moment as they pondered their options. Running was out of the question; both of them knew as much. The magistone mine here was their lifeline. Abandoning the mine would mean abandoning their jobs, and that meant losing their only source of income and starving to their deaths. They might not even get the chance to starve to death if Fang Chen Yu sent his men after them.
“Screw it,” muttered Hakimi as he marched over to the pile of equipment they had stashed in a corner of the cave. He pulled out a shortsword and started to clumsily tie it to his waist rather unsuccessfully.
Vardan snatched the shortsword out of Hakimi’s hand as he asked, “What are you planning?”
Hakimi pushed Vardan aside lightly and rummaged for another weapon as he mumbled, “I’m taking the initiative. I won’t let them hunt us. I’m gonna hunt those bandits myself.”
“Yourself? Are you insane? You’re in no condition to fight either. Just look at you. You can barely even feed yourself with your left hand. You’re still injured from all the blows you took yesterday and you want to go fight?” Vardan stepped in between Hakimi and the pile of junk.
Hakimi clenched his fist and stepped forward. He had to tilt his head to look up at the much taller Vardan as he said, “So what do you suggest we do?”
“We can figure something out. Together. All of us. There are fourteen of us and three of them. The numbers are on our side.”
“Someone will die.”
“I'll make sure it doesn’t happen.”
The two of them stared at each other, neither of them backing down.
Finally, Hakimi turned and walked away, swiping a lantern and a dagger along the way.
“Fine. Do it your way. I’ll do it my own way.”
Vardan immediately grabbed Hakimi by the shoulder and stopped him. Hakimi tried his best to wrestle free of Vardan's grip, but the older boy was much stronger than he was.
“No. You stay here and get some rest. You’ve done enough. Let me go and deal with this problem. Alone,” Vardan said firmly, in a tone that suggested he wasn't open to compromise.
Hakimi was a little taken aback by this. Vardan was usually the cheery one, not the one barking orders at other people. For a moment, he couldn't quite find the words he needed to express himself.
Vardan held his hand open and Hakimi reluctantly gave him the lamp.
“Alone? How are you going to do this alone?” asked Hakimi.
“Don't worry. I have a plan in mind and it’s much better than your stupid idea of taking the fight to them,” said Vardan, “Just stay here and help out the other boys. We’ve still got the magistone problem to deal with and I'm counting on you for that.”
Vardan gestured at the brown book on Hakimi’s waist.
“Are you sure about this?” asked Hakimi.
“Well, I’m sure that I'll do a better job than you. You see, I happen to have two hands instead of one,” said Vardan with a light smile on his face.
He gave Hakimi a light shove on the back.
“Now go rest.”
Hakimi frowned and remained in the same spot, looking worriedly at Vardan.
“Go. I’ve lived in the Nameless Town for six years. I know my way around the place better than anyone here. And if anything goes south, my dad knows how to patch me up. It will be like a vacation for me. I’ll get to see my family and everything.”
Reluctantly, Hakimi nodded and walked away. He whispered something under his breath, “Thank you.”
“What’s that?” asked Vardan as he fastened the sword sheath by his own waist.
“Nothing.”
“Watch over Ru Meng for me, alright? And don’t be a dick for once.”
Hakimi raised a middle finger at him without looking back.
Vardan smiled. He started preparing for his own journey. He sorted out the things he needed: a lamp, the shortsword, a few pouches of rice and a cloak. It was best to travel light in the Nameless Town to make yourself less of a target. Just those few pouches of rice made him richer than the vast majority of the inhabitants down there. He had to be careful not to show them. When Vardan was almost done packing, he paused for a brief moment and went over to a certain carriage half-filled with refined magistones. He bent down and scooped a good handful into an empty pouch.
Vardan then pulled Han Yang aside and told him that he was leaving for the Nameless Town. He left a few instructions for Han Yang. The two bumped fists and Vardan finally turned to leave.
He walked to the entrance of the cave and into the tunnel, stealing one last glance at the children inside the cave before he left.
Ru Meng and Lan sitting in a corner of the cave, watching over Ru Meng's father. The boys grumbling about going back to work while being harassed into action by Hakimi. A small bonfire burning in the center of the cave. It was peaceful. Quiet. It was good.
Vardan knew Hakimi was right. If possible at all, he didn’t want any fighting to reach this tiny sanctuary in the pitch-black world they lived in. Someone would get hurt, and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.
Vardan strolled down the tunnel, hoping that his little idea would work. It wasn't much of a plan yet, but he had to start somewhere. He smiled to himself. He would do anything to protect those he held dear, and somehow, he knew things would turn out just fine.