-Break-

Slowly Aois walks in front of me, and at the same pace, I follow behind him.

“Maple, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done.”

“It really is no big problem, especially with you getting that poison out of my system, and seeing the faces of defeat on those kids' faces was also quite lovely.”

Aois laughs, then says, “The kids may come off harsh, but that is simply how they were raised.”

Confused, I say, “You don’t seem like the kind of person to raise them that way?”

“Before they came here, each and every one of those kids were picked off the street, so they learned to look out for themselves above others.”

“I see, that’s why they didn’t seem to care about all the stuff they were breaking.”

“Yes, it is one of their many bad habits that I am slowly trying to change. But sometimes I wonder if I ever can, the last time I raised an orphan it was Dumnorix and despite his achievements, he has some attitude issues.”

“Some?”

Aois laughs again, and says, “Some might be too generous, but he is quite brilliant as well. Though I would enjoy if the kids did end up like you more than him.”

Smiling, I say, “If that is your hope, you have nothing to fear, because I was the loudest, argumentative, most obnoxious brat in all of existence.”

“That does give me some peace of mind, though I hope I will be able to show that to all of the other as well.”

“On that note, I find it a bit weird that those kids could destroy so much and no one would have come here to complain about all of the merchandise they destroyed.”

“That’s simply because they respect me enough to let it go, but still some of them do complain when the kids go too far.”

Confused, I ask, “Why would that be?”

“Well, we are here, so I can show you.”

Reaching the top of a hill, we both look down and there I see a mass of graves. As we look down, Aois says, “I am a grave keeper, and these are all of the graves that have died in the last thirty years.”

There are more graves here than there were people in Prosúnfore, by a couple times, and this is just the amount of people who have died in the last thirty years, that’s impossible. What disaster could have led to this?

Aois walks forward and says, “Follow me.”

Breaking out of my prettified state I follow him and he says, “Massive isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“We had so many bodies we had to stop making graves for each and have started to bury family all under the same one.”

Stopping in my tracks, I ask, “What could have caused all of this death? There is no way this is normal. There are more graves here than people I have seen in my life.”

“Around thirty years ago a crisis happened, and all of us Tuatha Dé Danann were in a dire situation, yet the crisis could be passed if we all had worked together.

But a certain section of the Tuatha didn’t like that idea and saw this as an opportunity to seize power, the Fanalis. They started a war in the midst of our crisis.

Countless people from the young to the old were killed, and the people had to suffer every day not knowing if those monsters would come to kill them every moment they were awake. The bodies that pilled up due to this war were so numerous that we haven’t even found all of the bodies.

The amount we had to bury broke the hearts of all the other grave keepers to the point where we had to start burying them due to their despair, the only one left to watch after these graves was me.

It was hell, and those who lived through that hell weren’t guaranteed a better future. Today the only one of all of our cities that still stands is Prosúnfore the rest have all been burned to the ground, we were forced to rebuild everything and even then it has been a struggle.

Many were displaced and lost their families, and since everyone who remained had to struggle to survive none could take them in except for me. Too much had been lost and those beasts didn’t seem to care, it seems the fact that their bodies are more beast than human had made them lose all compassion.”

As Aois stops I say, “Why, why did you show me this?”

Turning to me, he says, “Maple you’re a human that must mean we have found a way to reach the outside and escape from this place.”

With tears in his eyes, the weak man with a voice of anger grabs onto me with his weak grip and he says, “Please help us! Our land is so soaked with blood and disease that we can barely grow any more crops on it, due to this our numbers won’t be able to increase back to defensible numbers.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

And every day I live in fear of when the Fanalis will attack us again or when those beasts will come for our land, our lives, our children. I hate them those monsters, those beasts don’t deserve to live a single day more.”

Falling to the ground while still holding onto me, he cries, “Please stand with us.”

As he speaks an image of the little Fanalis child pops into my head, a child sweater than any I had met, one who didn’t sound anything like the monsters he speaks about.

Yet the fear, anger and sadness that radiates off him is not a lie, because I know I have felt like this before, I know right now what he is saying he believes from the bottom of his heart.

Nothing he has shown me would make me believe what he saying is untrue, but what I have seen makes me think the opposite. Right now I truly don’t know what to say or what to think.

But an image flashes through my mind, one of Orb hugging people like usual. So I get down to his level and simply just hug him until he calms down and his tears stop.

And as I do I can tell that despite being part beast, he feels like a human being.

-Break-

Location: Abais Castle

As I walk towards the castle I still feel conflicted. I didn’t realize it before, but I am exactly like Orb, an unknown stranger who has entered these people’s lives.

But unlike him, I can hold the power to change these people's situations. My only goal is to rescue Orb and apologize to Iancu, but if something bad is happening here shouldn’t I try to help?

Though even completely unknowingly, Orb doing the same thing leads to bad things happening throughout my village.

I place both of my hands against my head and rub them in frustration while falling to my knees. At that moment I said, “Is this the weight Dad felt when he had to decide to let Orb and Cole in or not, was he also this anxious.”

Feeling slightly relieved I look up towards the sky, and with my enhanced vision I see a small black dot fall from way up in the sky. But before I can even react to that, I hear from behind me, “How was today?”

Turning around peeved, I say, “Dumnorix what do you want.”

“Don’t your eyes by scowling at me, when it truth you should be using them to take in the full glory of my presence!”

Lunging forward I kick him in the face and say, “Tell me what you want before I kill you.”

With a smile on his face, he says, “What did you think of Aois from his actions alone?”

A pause for a moment and say, “I think he is a very caring and kind person.”

“Now, what do you think of what Aois said?”

This question causes my brain to struggle quite a bit more than before, and while I do, Dumnorix asks, “Do you think the emotions in his words are unfounded?”

“NO!” I say immediately in response.

“What an impassioned response, so you think positively about Aois words?”

Conflicted, I say, “No.”

“You agree with the emotions but not the words? How funny, so let me ask you if Aois acted on those words would you be ok with that?”

Wavering, I say, “I wouldn’t be ok with that.”

“It simply seems to me like you don’t want to make a choice.”

“No, that isn’t tru-.”

Interrupting me, Dumnorix says, “Another no, well then let me make this question simple.” Standing up, Dumnorix says, “So tell me from the point of view of a leader, what do you think of Aois as a whole.”

I freeze as he asks this as all of the good and bad things I can think of Aois flood into my mind. Right now I feel the right thing would be to weigh up all the good very all of the bad, but even if I did that I feel like I would still end up being dishonest.

He is kind, but that kindness seems to disappear in response to the Fanalis. Yet the emotions he feels towards them a real and are heavy, this isn’t something like the fights I had with my dad, they did something to hurt him unfounded.

I open my mouth and try to say something, but I can’t even fully form words I just make noise, and as I am about to say something, Dumnorix hits me on the forehead, and says, “That feeling is what it means to be a leader and while hesitation is good, it can also lead to greater tragedy. So if you can’t figure out your emotions on this then I suggest you stay completely out of Tuatha Dé Dannan affairs.”

With those words Dumnorix walks away, and as he does I run away into Abais castle, trying to pull myself together.

Φ As Maple runs away on the verge of tears, I say, “While a bit harsh, it is better that she feels conflicted instead of helping one side. Though I thought it would take two days to get her feeling like this, I guess her running into your little brother was some kind of divine encounter.

But I guess since things are about to heat up, I better put my money where my mouth is and prepare to take action. Let’s just hope everything works out this time.”

-Break-

Location: Abbán’s house

Φ Looking at the unconscious boy on the bed, I say, “Looks like you will be ready to go tomorrow. I would say something insulting to you for the trouble you and your friends have caused, but I thank you for the help and the happiness you gave to my brother and the other kids a lot of joy, so I thank all three of you.”

“If you want to thank me give me a reward!” Orb says with green hair

I am a little spooked as I learn Orb is awake, but I quickly recompose myself and say, “I thanked you but it was actually the other two who did the most work.”

With his hair changing from green to Rosewood, Orb says “I would have you know that I saved those two so their achievements are my achievements. So repay me by allowing me to cuddle all you big animals, oh my friend Willow will also enjoy doing that so let him as well.”

Sighing, I say, “Would you even want to hug a bunch of bugs?”

With bright red hair, Orb says “OH COURSE I WOULD. While not the cutest, bugs happened to be a marvellous wonder of this world, who despite being incredibly tiny are able to survive just as well as dragons!”

“What a freak you are.”

“I know I am, so pay up.” With Orb's hair going through a series of colours as if he is conflicted, he says, “Though Cole told me it was rude to ask for payment in return for helping someone, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime situation, oh the morality!”

Getting up, I say, “You really are demented, but a good kind.”

As I walk away, Orb says, “I have overheard the situation down here from all your patients, so when I get better I will help you guys.”

Breaking off a fingernail, I throw it at Orb, and when it hits his body he has an adverse reaction moving in pain. “You might be doing better, but touching a beastkin still makes you feel intense pain, don’t overdo yourself.”

With black hair, Orb says, “But I can’t just leave you guys like this.”

“Thanks for the offer, but despite everything we are happy. Change isn’t worth risking what we have now, for some vague future. So please just get better and leave us to our ways.”

As I walk out of the house, I say, “I almost forgot, today is your birthday Dad, so I should go check on it like usual.”

Walking towards my destination, I look out on our small town completely overpopulated, and then say, “How did it even come to this again.”