It was sensible of Aiden Maris to borrow a copy of the map of CANDEMARO's Eastern area from Catherine, as following the well-trodden carriage path could lead him to a different place altogether. Even though he has landmarks to look out for while walking, Aiden finds the staggering difference in area scales of Encanto maps frustrating. He is unsure whether it is a feature distinct to their cartographers, but the lack of scaling for wide areas–forests or otherwise, makes him miscalculate his journey. Such was the case when he followed the map leading to the Eastern Capital of Valaz. The map has colored a small patch to indicate that a wide green meadow follows the dense rainforest that will easily lead to Valaz. The distance in the map between these areas can be easily crossed by Aiden's fingers, but he has spent the rest of the night until day break walking and he has not reached the end of the forest.
The sentiment has irritated Aiden to the point that he clicks his tongue. As the day went on, he was able to meet a few carriages, but all of it was bound to the Southern Postal House, so he was unable to hitch a ride to the Eastern Encanto Capital. The growing heat brought by the country's sun was also unhelpful, as it made the journey even more grueling. At only early noon, with the intense heat getting in his system, Aiden stomps with finality and hollers, "That's it!"
The subsequent action has somehow collected the Mana from his body, down towards the soles of his boots, and the Water's Son momentarily hovered from the ground, surprising him. As he stares at the soft wet ground beneath him, Aiden recalls his attempt to scale the cliffs in Mado using two powerful water beams. His sea eyes glimmer with hope as he looks up, past the leaves and towards the peaceful but scorching sky. He has no immediate access to water, but he didn't worry about it. Pointing his palms to the ground, Aiden slowly inhales, gathering his Mana in it and releasing two equal pressurized water beams. The force from the water immediately propelled him past the trees and Aiden whoops in excitement. Now, if he can only redirect his beams...
Keeping the pressure, Aiden slowly brings one of his hands behind him, then the other, and he is able to ride the air, albeit shakily at first. He eventually gets the hang of it, riding the air with his feet almost touching the crowns of the trees as he passes by it. His speed can go faster, but it is sufficient for Aiden to see the end of the forest and the green meadows leading to the smooth stone walls of the Eastern Encanto Capital of Valaz.
With a heart throbbing with excitement at the sight of the other great Encanto city, Aiden momentarily forgets about stabilizing the pressure of his water beams and he swerves, hollering as he tries to steer away from the remaining trees. He is able to get everything together and he sighs in relief as he soon cruises across the meadows, where several patches are cultivated to symmetrical rice paddies. He looks down to the fruitful vegetation of the fields, its beautiful greenery reminds him of the lush forests of the West. A smile forms on Aiden's lips as he turns to look ahead. Valaz's walls appear at the horizon, but his sight is somehow becoming more blurry to him. Frowning, Aiden notices that he is beginning to swerve once more. Was he not balancing the water beams' pressure again? The walls are getting bigger by the minute. He has to redirect his water beams to scale it and quickly!
With a grunt, Aiden tightens his jaw as he directs all of his Mana on his hands, which makes his palms emit a stronger bluish glow, diverting his path upwards just before his nose can touch the smooth cobblestone. Aiden chuckles at his success and he resumes on his flight's usual path across the walls, despite faltering senses. He hasn't thought about landing, for his consciousness is somehow terminated while in the middle of considering it.
---
The tides of time have been relentless, and the pioneers of yesterday have not been able to keep up with the endless innovations of the world. This has been true to the Eastern Encanto Capital of Valaz. Once hailed for their boldness to break away from the conservative-- and often restraining-- confines of the Encanto traditions, the Valazian Encantos settled on the plains near the Eastern sea, building a city atop a clump of seven hills and its surrounding fields to signify their presence in the area; a feat that their Western brethren did not dare to do; for they value anonymity and preach the importance of living a simple life.
The Valazian Encantos have been historically challenging their origins and have been known to be the first people to marry people from another tribe; which led to the abundance of Dwaharos-- people born from parents from different tribes-- in Valaz today. But despite their achievements in the past, a series of magnanimous events happening across CANDEMARO has shifted things within the Eastern Encanto Capital; with some of the ripples impacting the large Dwaharo population comprising the Capital.
Like the Central post of Solferino, Valaz is a learning hub for Encantos; Dwaharos or otherwise. Guilds function both as an academy and as a workshop for anyone interested in studying a particular craft. Guildmasters weren't too keen in providing documents of completion like the Usor guilds do, since most experts and pupils learn indefinitely. It is a place where anyone can come and go to study to their liking. But when the Digma Academic Pan was expelled in ISoS and the persecution of his fellow academics began, Valaz, along with other areas in the East, was sanctioned by ISoS to adapt the curriculum used by Usor guilds in Solferino. Similar to the persecution, it was anything but peaceful.
Historically known as the "Unification Act", the event has turned Encanto and Digma guilds from a unique, community learning hub into suffocating classrooms, centralized in the curricula provided by ISoS and followed by guilds within Solferino. Management of the guilds has fallen into the hands of the "Kings"; Usor academics from the Central Post who oversee education in the guilds. Learning materials have been replaced by ISoS-approved documents and anyone seen in possession of any old scrolls will be persecuted. This has also led to an influx of foreigners flooding the eastern towns and cities. Many saw this as an opportunity for diversity, while many locals found their presence invasive. For the Dwaharos that once dominated Valaz's market and streets, they are now swept in the outskirts of the capital, huddling in slums against the Capital's walls, while many complicit Encanto families and Usor academics live lavishly in the center of the city. Once Iskas (students) of their beloved guilds, they are now not even allowed to step inside it to learn; only to accommodate its new residents as “service providers”.
But any visitor of Valaz today will not think that its locals are succumbing to oppression from foreigners as, upon passing the Capital's large metal doors, one will be greeted by the limestone paths leading newcomers to the towering polished stone walls of lavish inns and entertainment houses. It stretches to connect the citizens to a large plaza at the heart of Valaz, made with the same limestone and decorated with a big stone fountain as a centerpiece before branching out to seven roads; each leading to one of the seven hills. The northernmost of these hills and the furthest among the fountains, but one that offers the best view of Valaz, lies the only remaining guild in the Capital-- Magna Picea. Named after its tall stone towers and signature red tiled roofs, its lofty position above the lush green hill and its grand façade once carried the pride of many Digma and Dwaharo academics. To the current residents of Valaz, however, its looming shadows is a reminder of the cruel injustice the institution has imposed on the majority of the Capital’s population.
---
A significant community of students thrive within the confines of Magna Picea. Many of the Iskas are exchange students affiliated with Usor guilds from Solferino who have taken a scholarship to pursue their studies here indefinitely. A small population of these Iskas are from notable Encanto families in Valaz, taking up knightly training to increase their elemental combat abilities. There has been no Dwaharo of Digma descent or a full Digma who has been enrolled in the guild for a long time and even though the Head Magistrate of Magna Picea is a Digma, he has lost his ability to govern partly due to his declining health and because of the arrival of his stand-ins: the Three Kings.
Their administration of Magna Picea in the last five years has been, to say, satisfactory, for the Iskas and professors of the guild. They have continuously produced graduates that went on to lead groundbreaking expeditions in the Eastern Sea and the Encantos who completed knightly training went on to join the forces across the country. But from anyone outside of the guild's circle, no one is aware of the current status of their education. Most Iskas take residence in the guild's dormitories and staff members often only linger in the main plaza and nearby areas. Even the Three Kings who dress lavishly only visit the gorgeous residences in the other hills. Little to few people of the guild visit the outskirts of the Capital, where most people live and merchants stay, so the common folk of Valaz have no opportunity to take a guess as to what life is in the guild right now. While there is no common law forbidding anyone from visiting Magna Picea, the presence of the Bellodore; stiff guards in metal uniforms, patrolling the campus hill and all of Valaz, has deterred anyone from loitering in the area.
---
"You may lounge at the rest stop at the foot of the hill while waiting for your brother." One of the Bellodore stationed by the guild's heavy gates tells the young girl waiting by the cart parked next to the entrance.
The little girl, clad in a white shirt beneath messy brown overalls like most locals do (as majority of Valaz' population are craftsmen) bears the bright color of the summer grass in her long hair that is up in one high ponytail. Her freckles rise as she puffs her cheeks; dissatisfied at the Bellodore guard, for it has been their usual conversation whenever she accompanies her brother to make deliveries to the guild.
"It's too far off." She replies, like she always did, while looking down to the small wooden shack poorly built on the right side of the limestone street, which is also manned by a couple more guards. "Besides, if brother needed anything else, it'll be troublesome to go back and forth from there."
The two gate guards will simply chuckle at the reasonable answer, but they do not do so with any contempt, for despite descending from the Nobles Family in Valaz, they have been more accustomed with the regular folk of Valaz before they took duty as Bellodore for Magna Picea. As such, they have been good acquaintances to the Dwaharos who are serving the Iskas of the guild. The closest of the Bellodore signals to the little girl to come closer to where the shade is.
"Then wait here by the shadows. It's a lot cooler than waiting under the afternoon sun."
At this, the little girl will usually shake her head and exclaim, with the biggest smile that the gate guards always find cute, "No thank you! I love basking in the heat of the sun!"
As if restoring their energies, the guards will coo at the amusing display and continue to look after the girl until her brother emerges from the guild. And as if clockwork, they will find him coming out with an even bigger stash of items than what he had originally carried inside the guild.
"I hope my younger sister is not giving you any trouble, Bellodore." he says as he approaches the cart and begins organizing the piles of laundry.
It amazes both guards and the little girl that he can find his way despite his line of sight being obscured by the tall stack of sheets he's carrying.
The young man bears the same summer grass color of hair and freckled face as his little sibling, though his hair is shorter and pulled back with clips, though some strands stubbornly make its way on his face after a day's worth of work.
"She's most cooperative." The guards reply with a nod of their heads as they watch the siblings prepare for the trip back.
"Though I wonder why you do not bring your younger brothers." One of them inquiries. "Wouldn't they be of more help to you, especially during the end of each term?"
"Forget them! I'm more reliable than Draven and Copper in terms of strength!" the little girl responds, showing her arm to the guards. "Their thin, sickly arms cannot pull a cart as heavy as this!"
"Come now, Berry," the young man chuckles as he pats his sibling's head. "I appreciate that you are most strong, but you do know that Draven and Copper make use of their lankiness for something else."
Berry simply puffs her cheeks out in silent admission of the fact and continues to load up the cart. The young men exchange amused glances.
"But really, Arell... It's a shame that you have come of age with the corruption of Magna Picea." One of the guards laments, his metal shoe clanking as he shifts his weight.
The other nods his head in agreement. "It was a blast to learn here... I thought it'll be the same when we become of service here, but..."
"Come now, brothers. I appreciate that you allowed me to learn from you when you were Iskas yourselves. I carry that knowledge with me until now." Arell says with a small smile. Even though the conversation has been the same as their routine visit to collect laundry, there is no sign that Arell is exhausted from entertaining the sentiment. If anything, he is thankful that they are concerned about him.
"Yes, it has been most fun, but it's a shame. You have potential, Arell!” The Bellodore exclaims with a shake of his head. Looking up to the dull red flags swaying overhead, he mutters in a hushed voice. “If only you can earn a degree... perhaps, you need not to do laundry for the... heathens that thrive within these walls."
"Shh! Banish those words and thoughts!" The other reprimands, striking the ground with the butt of his polearm thrice.
Arell chuckles at the exchange, waving one of his index fingers while settling the last of the blankets on their cart. "He's right, you know? The Head Magistrate is recovering in his quarters. You wouldn't want to wish him ill now, would you?"
A burst of laughter echoes between the young men before they eventually bid their goodbyes to Arell and Berry. The small joy brought about by the merchants' visit lingered in the Bellodore's mind until the end of the day.
The travel return home was long and tiring, for Arell alone pulls the cart along the path as the family cannot afford a mule yet, but Berry's merry humming lessens the burden. They notice the growing dimness of the area, indicating their arrival within the outskirts of the capital. The limestone road visibly comes to a halt when the smooth trip turns rocky and the bright white glows of the last lampposts lining it barely reach the old stone and wooden houses in the area. With such outdated living conditions and facilities, many service workers frantically try to get a lot of work done as the sun sets. They do not light any lamps as the setting sun continues to let the shadows hover across their chipped roads, for one reason or another, but mostly by fear.
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By the time Arell arrives near their home, they have already zigzagged their way around the alleyways their cart can fit, for the main streets are flooding with workers racing with the remaining sunlight for the day. Like today, they have emerged from the alley left of their house; a small stone structure with a thatched roof. Vines creep on the left wall, where the small yard space they converted to a small garden. Their property is surrounded by a low cobblestone wall, with the majority of it growing multitudes of moss. As they come round to the front gate, Berry's triplet, Draven and Copper, come rushing out of their house to help them disembark, as usual. But as they do so, the remaining sunlight has given Arell a view of several destroyed garden plots, and metal tools strewn around. The fact that the two young boys are panic-ranting in front of them has Arell clasping the handles of the cart as he braces himself for the distressing news either Copper or Draven is about to share.
"Are'cco!" the boys shout in unison. They seem to have gotten their sanity straightened out in the presence of their siblings. Copper and Draven, the younger triplet siblings to Berry, sport the same physical features as her and Arell; the summer green grass for hair, freckles (albeit theirs are more scattered to the sides of their jaw and forehead), and golden eyes. To make it easier for people to differentiate them from one another, Copper, the older and more panicky, parts his bangs on the center of his face, sometimes putting it up with clips like Arell, while Draven, the youngest of the triplets and more level-headed, swipes his to the left, like Berry’s. Still, even their differences come to unite with their shared penchant for mischief and hard work, so the unusual occurrence is quick to fly out of their lips: "A man fell out of the sky and we're helping him out!"
"But, he looks quite strange!" Copper shouts even louder afterwards, eyes watering.
"Dried like a plum!" Draven adds with a big wave of his arms.
As if unsure, Copper pushes to the front; this time, crying. "We wanted to ask little Ember if she has any idea of it, but she's nowhere to be found!"
“Again!” Draven shrieks.
Upon hearing of Ember (which we will know in a few where she was), Arell's face twists with frustration, and he drops the cart with so much force that Berry, who is listening about the predicament from the top of the pile of sheets, falls due to the tremor. But Arell, realizing his fault, is swift to catch her and the falling sheets, immediately setting her on the ground and hiding his dissatisfaction towards his youngest sister behind calloused palms.
"It's alright. She must be in Pela's again." Arell exhales, pulling away his hands from his face as he unlatches the lock of their metal gate. He then turns to Berry, about to ask her a favor, and Berry expects to receive it as soon as their golden eyes meet.
But to her surprise, Arell peels his gaze from her, then towards the horizon, or at least where the horizon is supposed to be; towards the direction of the Eastern sea, where the orange sun is almost gone from the view of the white walls. After a while, Arell begins to walk back to their house.
"A-Am I not to fetch little Ember, Are’cco?" Berry asks, arms full of the sheets they are about to clean.
Arell barely hears her inquiry as he trudges across the small stone pathway leading to their front door. Swinging it open, he considers the idea of fetching Ember, who, in Arell’s view, is a little ball of fiery freedom; one that he has not attained when he was around her age. As the wooden door dangerously creaks, as the wood by its hinges are rotting away, Arell watches as the last of the day’s sunlight makes its way to their small dining area, giving view of the solitary sink and cupboards. Walking inside, the wooden floorboards creak under his weight and the stone walls leading further inside gently announce the faint presence of another in the leftmost room.
“Do not.” Arell replies to the question earlier, despite Berry being absent to hear it. “She need not to witness something like this.” He twists the doorknob and swings the door open, to which a ghastly sight lay before him.
The triplet, unsure of what to make of their brother’s reaction while also panicking at losing daylight, haul the sheets to the laundry room; a makeshift shack on the right part of their house. Berry, boasting more strength than her siblings, offers to put away the cart, while Copper and Draven follow Arell inside.
By the time they arrive in the house, however, their oldest sibling had already found the weird, dried up man. As they reported it, Arell finds someone--a person-- laying on his own bed, its appearance indeed like a raisin, with wrinkled, dehydrated skin taut around the bones. Approaching it in silence, Arell is haunted by a similar occurrence he has witnessed in his youth, and the horrors of that time has stopped him in his tracks and has elicited a soft gasp from him.
“Sorry,” Copper bawls out of the blue, freaking Draven out.
Arell and Draven turn to their brother. While the triplet is unsure of the source of sudden crying (Copper seems to burst in random fits of sadness, at least for Draven), Arell somehow deduces that his initial reaction has made Copper worry. Arell retraces his steps, stopping to wrap his arms around the crying Copper.
“No need to apologize, Copper.” Arell says with a small smile.
“Sorry we have to use your bed, Are’cco. We didn’t want to taint the only other room in the house with even more bad memories.” Draven replies, frowning whether this is the correct sentiment that caused Copper’s tears.
Arell’s smile widens, both in amusement at how the boys’ minds wander off, as well as with appreciation that they are looking out for his welfare. “Thank you.” he says, pulling both boys in a big embrace. “Everything will be fine. For us and for the stranger.”
Turning back to the person on his bed, Arell takes one longer look at the body, squinting as the last sunlight disappears completely. The skin is now tracing the hollowness of the eye sockets and mouth. He has to do that… and fast!
Picking himself up and moving towards the adjacent room, Arell swings the equally rickety door open, golden eyes blinking at the presence of Berry near the bed, a small wicker basket of instruments and glass bottles. The mess of a bigger wicker basket slightly peeking underneath the bed indicates that she has rummaged through to retrieve specific materials, which Arell appreciates. He moves to meet Berry by the bed, taking the basket full of items and patting Berry on the head. The flat look on her face softens as she receives the warmth of Arell’s hard palms, and their golden eyes meet within the dimness of the area.
“You can leave if you wish. It is not a sight you have to bear witness to.” Arell says.
“I-I was not here when it happened to mother…” Berry whispers.
“And you don’t have to be here for this stranger. If this works for him, it will be a blessing, but I’ll make sure he does not have a chance to do it again.” Arell’s voice is comforting, but firm.
“Draven said he came crashing down to the garden.” Berry peels her gaze away from the bed. “The carrot patch was obliterated, but they managed to save the root crops.”
Arell shrugs. “Then we will have carrot-based food for the rest of the week.” he comments, which elicits a small chuckle from Berry. “So please get your brothers to work on dinner. I can handle the anomaly.”
“I-Is he dead, though?” Berry gulps as he exits the room and lingers by the doorway.
Arell peers inside their shared room where the boys have set the stranger. The sun is long gone and the moonlight, try as they might, is unable to reach the secluded space. But Arell, who has stared at the horrendous state of the body earlier, has a clear image of the body. He sighs, turning to Berry as he replies, “No. Not yet.”
With a small nod, the two siblings go in the opposite directions; with Arell closing the door of their room behind him as he rummages for materials that will help him revive the stranger. Meanwhile, Berry joins her siblings in the kitchen counter across their dining table, stubbornly reaching for jars and boxes on tiptoes despite Copper offering the small stepladder for her.
Though people of the bigger cities may find the silent nights in Valaz unsettling, the Dwaharos living past the limestone paths have been accustomed to continuing their lives within the blanket of the darkness. Since the persecution of the Digma Academic Pan, a domino effect swept through the country of CANDEMARO, which has led to the Valazian Dwaharos’ nightly predicament. But they persist, and in the cover of darkness, they continue to eat, work, and flourish… as long as they keep the noise low.
As someone who has lived through the beginning of this restrictive lifestyle, Arell has bore witness to the consequences of violating the laws brought by the Three Kings to Valazian Dwaharos. Fully aware of the results of the process he’s about to do to this stranger, he gulps in uncertainty. But he continues, with every step towards his bed making the floorboards creak. Fishing out a small glass vial from the basket, Arell pops the cork out of it and takes a quick whiff of it. The pungent scent of dried mushrooms tells him he has the correct item. Plucking a couple of it, he gently cups the stranger’s face, wincing at the dry sensation under his hands. Carefully, he finds the mouth locked by the jaw. Arell gently squeezed his index finger between the lips, gently prying it wide enough to slide the thin mushroom slices.
A faint gust of air from the stranger’s nose indicates to Arell that he is able to recognize the sensation. Realizing the odds of the process succeeding, Arell frowns, then digs for something else under his bed. He retrieves a smooth wooden chest, sanded and engraved with his family name that he has brushed his fingers against the letters: Singh. He inhales deeply, then unlatches the bronze lock. One cannot see what the contents of the chest is, but Arell, who has cared for it, is aware of the large white gemstone wrapped in linen settling on it, along with a polished carving tool, and a small wooden hammer. His hands are quick to lift the stone out of the chest, unwrapping the cloth has made small clanks, indicating that several smaller pieces have broken off of the stone.
Arell grunts under his breath as he cups the three pieces that came off of the gemstone. Turning to the person on his bed, he purses his lips. The intensity of the predicament this stranger has brought upon himself is terrible, to say the least, and Arell, having to bear the grief of losing someone to the same situation, somehow thinks this stranger deserves a punishment… for abusing his gift. With that train of thought, Arell picks the largest chunk of the three pieces. It’s jagged and rough on the edges, for it is where the smaller pieces have broken off from, but Arell doesn’t mind it. He shifts to stand on his knees, fumbling to lift the stranger’s shirt up. He mentally curses as he partly undoes the leather belt, which he finds difficult to do so within the dark. Still, he succeeds.
The act has somehow given the stranger some of its energy back, for Arell hears a soft groan from it, followed by a soft gulp. He doesn’t have much time. He frantically raises an index finger in front of his face, waving it in a series of ups and downs, as if writing something in the air. In a blink, the tip of his finger emanates a soft orange glow, which barely illuminates his and the stranger’s face. Sliding the stone underneath the stranger’s shirt with one hand, he places his glowing finger in the middle of the stranger’s forehead. Shutting his eyes, he whispers, “May K’raas bestow you the most mercy.” Afterwards, the gemstone and his finger dig deep in the stranger’s skin, and the body beneath Arell convulses violently. The ordeal has not been the most solitary. It begins with the creaking of the wooden bedframe, which the triplet has picked up almost immediately when it began. But among the three, only Copper and Draven rush to the room, locking Berry out of it. They proceed to pin the limbs of the stranger down, stuffing a towel on his mouth to keep the groans from getting out. Arell, having to do the process, has little to contribute, for his hands are stuck within the stranger’s skin as the gemstone gets absorbed, but he has kept his legs within the stranger’s torso, securing it in place as the skin gradually regains its bounce.
“Are’cco!” Copper whispers. “Must we really subject him to this?!”
Arell grunts as he slowly gets his hand out of the stranger’s shirt, noticing a soft white glow emanate from the stranger’s chest, where he had placed the stone. He winces as some of the jagged edges scrape against his fingertips. “T-There is a possibility he might do this to himself again.” Arell replies. “We cannot risk that.”
A series of more serious grunts. The glow on Arell’s finger has given him and Copper a good look at the renewed condition of the stranger. The light has shown them the stranger’s sea hair and fair complexion. Copper gasps as he notices the patterns on the stranger’s clothes.
“A Forest's Keeper.” Arell takes the word out of the boy’s mouth with equal shock.
They do not exchange more words until the last of the convulsions disappear and the stranger’s body lay still in a somehow peaceful slumber. The three slide by the bedside, sweating and panting, quite satisfied that the predicament has not alerted anyone; at least not by the sound nor the little light they have used.
“What now?” Draven asks, leaning on Arell's shoulders.
“He’s a Forest's Keeper…” Copper replies in another whisper. “...Wouldn’t he be helpful for your cause, Are’cco?”
“What…?” Arell asks in between exhales.
Though tired, Copper crawls on his hands and knees towards the bedside drawer just above the bed. He pulls one of the drawers open, clamoring for something and returning to his spot.
“This is the man’s belongings…” He hands a leather knapsack to Arell. “I think he has been investigating something related to the Usors.” Copper replies.
In the shadows, the boy somehow senses the curious and concerned glare of his older brother and he flinches at the sensation. “I-I read it earlier in the afternoon. Sorry…”
Perhaps stunned by both the information Copper provided or whatever Arell has retrieved from the bag or neither, Arell sits in silence, giving the Forest's Keeper a glance or two, as if thinking. A minute later, he returns the knapsack to Copper, asking him to keep it, while taking Draven to help him dump the stranger somewhere away from their house.
“Shouldn’t we bring his bag with him?” Draven asks.
“If you wish to see Florence again, I’d rather not to.”
The name freezes the boys in their place. As if almost immediately, their faces are washed with sadness and tears well in their golden eyes. Arell understands the melancholy, and has reached out to pat the boys’ heads twice before urging them to return to their tasks. When they open the door, they receive an earful from Berry, who Copper and Draven had barred from entering and viewing the process earlier. It’s only when they stop to listen (and eventually ask for forgiveness) were they able to continue with their tasks. Something about getting reprimanded in waves of angry whispering can be amusing for the boys, but they nevertheless took some of it to heart. Even Arell has received some of it.
As planned, Draven and Arell take the cart from the laundry room as quietly as they can, and all four siblings carry the sleeping stranger to it. In the cover of the moonless night, the siblings traverse the narrow alleyways, where the stone buildings of the old hide them from the patrolling Bellodore. They eventually come to a spot close enough by the limestone path, where some lamps can be seen in the distance. Seeing a garbage pile on one corner, they drop the stranger there, quietly retreating back to the darkness and retracing their steps back to their home as quickly as possible.
In the short trip back, Draven inquires, “Why must we lurk like madmen in the dark? Isn’t this our own place and home?”
Arell huffs, eyes on the chipped road. “Yes, this is our home, Draven, but it is infested with parasites… Some are only concerned with their own welfare, and do not think we are their equals.” They turn left. “Of course, we are not like our ancestors who will pick up a fight for the sake of fighting… As Dwaharos, we might have been smarter to keep in the shadows.”
“Still… for half a decade, we’ve lost far more than our home…” Draven replies sadly.
“I can sense we’ll succeed this time. The Three Kings are still humans. Despite their seemingly powerful control over us, they are still vulnerable to some sort of weakness.” Arell says with a small smile.
Draven does not answer until they arrive back at their house. They pull the cart back to the laundry room and slide back inside the house through the side door. Copper and Berry welcome them with happy relief.
“Are’cco,” Draven calls as they settle in the dining area. “Have you considered getting assistance from Pela?”
“...Maybe…” Arell’s voice trails off as Berry serves him a bowl of something warm. “It depends whether the Forest Keeper’s intentions align with mine.”
“Here’s yours, Draven.” Berry’ voice comes from in front of Arell and he can sense the girl giving another bowl. He takes it from her and offers it to Draven.
“Do not worry about me. Just continue what you do best here.” Arell says as he pushes the bowl to the boy, smiling at the concern his sibling has shown.
Eating in the darkness, Draven reciprocates the smile.
---
-cco (honorific) DIG.: added with whichever syllable of a person's name to refer to them affectionately as an older sibling.