The next day brought rain with it once again. Summer in Arkund was usually a dry and hot affair. But sometimes, swaths of rain clouds would loosen their payload upon the unsuspecting citizens all day long. Someone had once tried to explain the phenomenon to Kael when he was still in school. Something to do with the ocean that was, apparently, somewhere outside the city. Whatever that meant. Nevertheless, if the last few days were any indication, he would have to expect lots of rain for the rest of the day.
Hiding under his improvised tent, Kael was in deep thought. Something fundamental in or about him had changed. What, or how he did not know, but the why was pretty clear: Magic. Ever since the night that the Archmage had encased him in the strange bubble of symbols and light, it, no he, was different somehow.
His leg was healed, for starters. Then there was this peculiar feeling, hidden somewhere deep below his conscious thought. Not strong or clear enough to influence him in any way, but present nonetheless. He felt great to have his leg healed, sure! BUT! Nothing good ever happens to him. There had to be a catch somewhere. It was just a matter of finding it before it hurt him.
Brooding about questions he knew he would not find answers to, time passed, and Kael almost missed the rain stopping. Well, not stopping entirely, but lessening to a bare minimum that he considered acceptable for leaving his tent. With a grunt, he shoved his doubts back into the little trunk in the corner of his mind, where they festered together with his fears and grudges and got ready. No shops to visit for him today, at least. Still weary from yesterday's experiences, he decided to skip his job hunt for the day and do something fun. Breakfast came first, however.
The walk to the bakery was short and uneventful. The rain had caused most potential customers to stay inside, leaving the streets mostly empty of pedestrians. Arriving at the bakery, Kael had to smile when he saw the little shed that had been built out of crates and umbrellas that sheltered the bags of food from the rain. Whoever ran the shop really went above and beyond to help unfortunate souls. Should he ever have the means, he would make sure to stop by and return the favor.
Breakfast secured, it was time for a walk. Kael's destination for the day was Avernum. As part of the three new districts, only recently added to the capital, it was a little out of the way and only connected to the public transit network by a bus line. Apparently, the district had once been its own little town. At least until the ever-expanding capital had swallowed it whole and drove the real estate prices into the sky, incentivizing most of the original owners to sell and move elsewhere. Only retaining its name after everything was said and done.
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Ten years after the integration, the district had transformed. With all of the one-family houses already present, it had become the number one choice for affluent families. Safety and lots of schools, small shops, and more made ideal for raising children. For Kael, however, the place had a different appeal that made him visit regularly. It was the place that his sister's new family had moved to.
He had never officially visited their house. In fact, Kael was not even sure they knew that their precious little girl had an older brother. In the chaos that was their stay in the orphanage, and the subsequent adoption of his sister, a lot had gone wrong. Kael hadn't even been told. Only when he noticed that his sister was suddenly gone, did a caring employee tell him where his sister had been moved to, allowing him to at least visit her.
The first time he saw her was a few months after her adoption. It was an impossible situation to be thrust into. On the one hand, he wanted her to have a good life, and his presence would certainly not help. On the other hand, he needed his sister. She was the only living family he had. So he had to decide what was more important to him, Lucy or Kael. In the end, it was an easy question to answer, and he decided to look after her from afar from then on. Then he fucked up, and after Lucy had spotted him a few months back, threatening him with calling the police, his visits had become rare.
Not because he did not want to visit, but because he did not want to trouble her. So he held back as much as possible. Watching his sister so close, yet so far away, was... difficult. But... with everything that had happened, he deserved a little regular old happiness, did he not? For now, however, thinking can wait. There was a long walk ahead of him, and he needed to get going sooner rather than later.
The almost two-hour-long walk came to an end when Kael stepped onto the Aver-Plaza. Doubling as a town center and local marketplace, the huge open space was his destination. Sitting down in one of the many cafes surrounding the circular area, his eyes were almost instantly drawn in one direction. The only remaining traditional building. The Saint-Mortimer school for girls.
An hour rapidly passed as Kael waited. It was something he got used to long ago. When he finally heard the gong, signaling the end of the school day, from across the plaza, his eyes were glued to the big double doors of the school. He watched as girls of all ages left the school in droves, trying to get somewhere, anywhere else, as fast as possible. Not long after the exodus of young females had begun, his eyes spotted the smiling face of his little sister.
Wearing her light school uniform while carrying a cute umbrella covered in little bears, she was laughing with two of her friends. The old, familiar mixture of pain and happiness, piercing deep into his soul, returned as he watched the small group of three walking across the plaza. Just as quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared again. Clawing at his seat and using all of his self-control, he stopped himself from rushing out of the cafè to follow them.
It took a while for Kael to calm down again. Maybe it was his brush with death, but he desperately wanted, needed, to talk and hold his sister. Kael finished his coffee, and after paying for it with his meager reserve of credits, he left the establishment, reminding himself to stock up on money again soon. Happy that his sister was safe and sound, he buried his pain and moved on. The long walk home would, hopefully, be enough for his emotions to normalize.
A few hours later, he was still walking. He had passed by his hideout but was too restless to stay there. Now, it was already dark, and he was passing through Kingsroad when his hopes for a quiet night got dashed as he heard a scream.