Over the next five months, Stefan continued to hone his skills in swordsmanship, and began to learn how to use a gun. He’d found that while anyone could pull a trigger, it took a certain expertise to be able to shoot precise targets and time it correctly. The training tested his adolescent patience greatly but at some point, it stuck with him. He was almost completely ready to battle Angels. All he lacked now was experience itself. Strangely enough, though, he still knew almost nothing about the foes that he was destined to fight. Whenever he questioned Gareth on the topic, the man simply alluded them to be nothing more than foes, things that needed to be destroyed.

“Hey, Anwen,” Stefan said, seeing the girl reading a book in the library. “I’m curious about something.”

“Can’t you see I’m busy here?” she rolled her eyes. Stefan had learned to tolerate her callous attitude towards him. The tension between them remained, but it had simmered down considerably.

“You’re just reading a book. What’s it even about? Looks lame.”

He snatched the book out of her hands and scanned its contents and cover.

“Looks like a manual. What is this… a goddamn cannon? No way you’re trying to build a cannon.”

“You should know by now that this is what I do. I build stuff.” she said, grabbing her book back.

“Whatever. Anyways, I was gonna ask… what’s Gareth’s deal with the Angels? I have my own vendetta against them, but why is such a powerful guy like him making it his life’s mission to destroy them?”

“I’d tell you to ask him… but I know what answer he’d give you. From what I can tell, he has a grudge against them, going back years. It really does seem like he’s just trying to kill as many as he can, but someone like him must have an end goal in mind.”

“To me, it just seems like he’s going on an endless crusade.” Stefan remarked.

“Gareth is a complicated person. He just doesn’t show it.” Anwen answered.

“A reclusive one, too.” Stefan added.

A knock sounded from the library doors. The two teens looked to find Gareth standing. He was going to tell them something.

“We’re out of salt and a lot of other things,” he announced. “We have to make a trip to town.”

“You mean just you? You always leave us alone here whenever you head out.” Anwen said with dissatisfaction.

“No, I’d like to bring you two along this time. It’s our yearly heavy stock-up.”

“Ah, so you just want a couple extra pairs of hands to help.” Anwen sighed.

“I wouldn’t be asking you to go if it wasn’t Marius that we’re going to.”

Anwen suddenly sprung up from her seat, slamming her book down on a nearby table. She ran up to Gareth and jumped up and down. So high in fact, that when she was at her highest off the floor, the top of her head almost aligned with Gareth’s brow. Stefan couldn’t help but notice a hollow, yet at the same time, clunky sound whenever Anwen’s feet touched the ground.

‘I’ve never seen her this happy before.’ Stefan observed. It kind of scared him.

“Marius! Marius! We’re going to Marius!” Anwen said, skipping around the library like a little girl.

“We leave in half an hour.” Gareth disclosed, before leaving the room and shutting its doors.

Anwen circled around the room in a frenzy, before running back to Stefan. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard, causing him to sweat with fear.

“Could you believe it? We’re finally going to Marius!” she said with a wide grin.

“What the hell is Marius?” Stefan asked. He grabbed her elbows and squeezed them hard to stop her from mindlessly hurting him.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“It’s a great little town with all kinds of great things. A bakery, a tavern, a bathhouse, a blacksmith shop, there’s even a lake! Oh… and really, really, handsome mature boys!”

This had to be one of the bigger settlements in north Yeupis. A town with all those amenities could easily house a thousand people or more. Derban never had more than a hundred inhabitants at a time, and trading trips had to be made frequently. It was so small in fact, that it couldn’t be called a village. Not that it had a unified leadership under a mayor or reeve, or anything of that sort. Thankfully, the forest surrounding Derban contained plenty of wildlife that could be used to exchange as meat for other important commodities.

All the residents of Gareth’s base, including Esperance, set off in an inconspicuous-looking carriage. The snow had all melted, but the air was still somewhat chilly. Winters took up most of the year and even the warmer months could just barely be considered summer. The weeklong journey took them south, but not far enough down that it could be considered the actual south of Yeupis. It got warmer gradually, but as they gained more elevation, it became slightly cooler again.

The town of Marius was unique and looked far different from any other settlement Stefan had ever been to. It was situated on a thin, but long strip of land. It was bounded by a temperate forest, contrasting the boreal forest around Derban on one side, and a large lake on the other. On the other side of the lake, craggy, snow-capped mountains straddled the horizon as far as the eye could see. This natural boundary was the true border between north and south Yeupis. But it didn’t matter, as it had been a very long time since countries existed. But still, northerners hardly ever ventured into south Yeupis. It was the center of Angel activity.

The town was a bustling community, more so than anywhere else Stefan had ever been. Children played on the streets, men and women came to and from their workplaces, and elders sat in front of their homes gossiping with one another. People of all different demographics lived here. This was the exact kind of town Kallista had told Stefan and Joakim about during their younger years, the kind of town she hoped Derban would become one day. But of course, there was a darker, subtle side of reality to this. As the caravan approached the market where Gareth would trade his greenhouse-grown vegetables in, he noticed something.

‘There are no young men in Marius.’ He pondered as he slowed Esperance down, bringing the carriage to a halt.

The townspeople made space for the carriage, letting their three guests disembark safely.

“Man, my back aches,” Stefan said, stretching his upper body. “Can we go to an inn and rest first?”

“Welcome back, Mr. Koppel!” the townspeople greeted.

“Pleasure to be here again.” The man returned, but never sharing the same level of energy as them.

“No time to stop.” Anwen said ecstatically. She grabbed Stefan’s wrist and weaved past the small crowd gathering around the visiting warrior.

‘She’s still as impatient as when we left.’ Stefan dumbfoundedly noted as Anwen dragged him through the main street of Marius. They stopped in front of a house with a sign hanging at the front, reading ‘DOCTOR.’

“This is not what I meant by getting rest. My back hurts, it isn’t broken.”

“Shut up,” Anwen snapped. “We’re not here for you. We’re here to see the doctor.”

“Doctor?” Stefan wondered as he and Anwen stepped through the doorway.

“Hello,” an older woman behind a counter welcomed warmly, a small empty waiting room in between her and the front door. “Did you have an appointment today with Dr. Bernard?”

“It’s me, Mrs. Bernard!” Anwen called out, letting go of Stefan and rushing to the counter. The receptionist walked around to the counter and took the girl into her embrace.

‘There’s no way Anwen can show anyone affection. It’s all act, it must be.’ Stefan cringed.

“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t think you’d come!” Mrs. Bernard said cheerfully. She retracted from the girl but stood with her. “My, look how much you’ve grown in the last couple of years! You’re starting to look like a real lady now.”

Stefan awkwardly turned around and faced the door. He felt extremely out of place. But he wasn’t out of eyeshot of the watchful woman.

“Who’s your friend?” she asked Anwen. “He seems rather shy.”

“Hey, you!” Anwen shouted at him. “Come over and introduce yourself. I’m not doing it for you.”

Stefan complied and shuffled with embarrassment, stopping just shy of three meters from the two females.

“Hello,” Stefan timidly waved. Although he was well trained in combat, social situations were not his strong suit. “I’m Stefan.”

He didn’t even think to shake the woman’s hand, which Anwen caught onto and burst into hysterical laughter.

“Good to meet you, Stefan,” Mrs. Bernard said in a kind tone. The absurdity of the scenario made Anwen laugh harder. The doctor’s wife looked back at Anwen and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Calm down, dear. He’s adorable! You never see men show themselves so vulnerably in front of a lady. That’s good boyfriend material, if you ask me.”

Anwen’s hands dropped to her sides in frustration, clenching them into fists.

“Mrs. Bernard, this guy is not someone you should be using as an example. He’s a dumb, meathead little boy! I’d rather die than spend the rest of my life with anyone who’s even a tiny bit like him!”

Just before the silly situation could explode and start a fight between the two teenagers, Gareth stepped through the doorway, having to duck his head and sidestep a considerable amount to fit through.

“Good morning, Mrs. Bernard.” Gareth greeted. For the first time ever in Stefan’s presence, a tiny semblance of a smile appeared across his face.