With a big heave as the last of the sobs escape her lips, Rai Juni, The Encantos' Lightning's Mistress, pulls her golden fringes back with one swipe of her palm, tucking the strands inside her olive beret. With a clear mind and a clearer view of her current surroundings, Rai's then aching heart fills with anticipation at the sight of the two young boys. She heaves another sigh; this time of relief, upon taking the unconscious Aiden Maris in her arms. She turns to the other boy, who has stayed in the shadows when he picked up Aiden. There is little division that separates the dim part of the Old Balete from the tiny specks of illuminated areas, yet the boy, as Rai notices with his big bloody eyes, is still wary of it. As much as she wishes to quickly exit the holy woods, she deduces that the boy will need to get used to the light.
Rai offers her hand and a smile. The boy seems to understand; even without words, and he accepts the Lightning's Mistress hand, walking together out of the area and out of the Beda Rainforest. Even the Rainforest's blurred imagery is fascinating to the boy, Rai mentally notes. The way he silently turns his head on every corner has reminded Rai of young Aiden's curious moments when they explored the banks of the Naga River. At some point, the boy will stop, looking down on his feet as if taking in the sensation of the rocky path they are traversing. She doesn't call for him to hustle, however, as Rai has been seeing her younger, equally curious self in the boy's gestures. There is silence between them as they trek along the path, but instinctively; even without looking, Rai knows that he is as delighted as any other child.
By the time they got out of the Beda Rainforest, the sky has just turned a bright orange, with the sun setting behind the looming woods. The light of dusk has elicited a groan of irritation from the boy and Rai looks over her shoulder out of worry. Shifting Aiden to carry his weight on one arm, Rai extends her other arm towards the young boy's ebony hair, pulling him close to her olive cloak to shield his eyes from the glaring rays that persist. Gentle whimpers vibrate across the Lightning's Mistress's cloak and she chuckles at the sight of the child. At that point, young Aiden must have sensed the light and stirs from his sleep, turning to his side, close to Rai's chest, but ultimately not waking up.
"We should get home..." she tells the two boys, her smile unfaltering.
"Home..." the boy with the ebony hair repeats, holding to Rai's cloak as he squints past the blinding rays.
With a nod, Rai carries the boy by the waist and propels herself to the air with a gentle whistle. The boy looks past his shoulders at the feat, eyes bulging wide at the great distance they have covered with a simple move. Before he can even look forward, they have arrived by the Lightning's Mistress' tent. Seeing the solitude of the darkness in the tent, the boy scurries inside, heaving a soft sigh at the comfort. However, as Rai steps inside her abode, the young boy with bloody eyes lets out a frightened yelp. Rai sharply recalls her own demise years before at the sound and as she looks up, she finds Agua Carina, Loire Maris, pinning her golden staff on the boy's throat, cornering him by the wooden post of the Juni tent. Their eyes meet in a second of fury and confusion, yet Rai holds on her thoughts, her grasp around the sleeping Aiden tightens.
The boy wriggles under the glowing gem, choking on the pressure. His fingers dig against the wood, as he is unable to wrap his hands on the weapon pressed against his neck. Tears roll down from his eyes as he seeks refuge in Rai's figure.
Loire's cerulean eyes slowly moves from Rai, then to the silhouette of the boy given off by the glow of her family's gem, then back to Rai. Her brows furrow with displeasure from the succession of the day's events.
"How dare you to bring a *Nomeo from the wretched woods." Loire says lowly, each word overflowing with disgust.
"Awa'a!" Rai hollers to Agua Carina. The ancient phrase has made Loire flinch. Rai continues. "The responsibility of having him in my home is mine. I plea for Redemption!"
Loire's grip on her staff loosens as the ancient Heleian word echoes in her ears. Awa'a. The ancient Encanto concept of familial refuge; held by Encantos and of another, unrelated bloodline. There has been no plea for such traditions ever since she has hold on to her position of Agua Carina. Loire's eyes flinch as Rai repeats her plea and her gaze drops once more to the young boy, whose eyes are reaching out for Rai. Guilt pierces her heart. Why had she hastily judged the situation and quickly deemed it unpleasant?
Withdrawing her staff, Loire lets the boy scamper to Rai's side. The Juni family carpet thumps silently as Agua Carina places the golden staff down. "Redemption it is! At sunrise tomorrow morning, reclaim yourself before Hele!" Her voice has softened, but still full of conviction. As Leader of the Encantos and Overseer of the Sequoia Council; the collection of individuals representing the divine children of whom the Encantos of Hele and Valaz originate, Loire perceives Rai's secrecy of the outcome of her Expedition insulting, as if the Lightning's Mistress had no trust in the Council—in her. The thought has made Loire scrunch her nose as she waits for Rai's reply.
On the other hand, Rai acknowledges Loire's reaction by pulling down her olive beret and bowing her head; a sign of reverence and compliance for Encantos. Her regret is still visible to her eyes, yet her relief at the thought of being able to finally share the details of her first expedition; both successes and demise, overpowers her fear. Rai hears the thump of Loire's heels on the carpet and looks up. Agua Carina is now by the doorway, hand on the entryway cloth. "I shall allow Aiden's stay over your place in the meantime." Loire says without sparing Rai a look and disappears outside.
Rai exhales the breath she unknowingly held. At the drop of her shoulders in relief, she turns to the young boy with ebony hair. The way his lips tremble and the tight grip he has on Rai's cloak says that he is still unable to recover from the predicament earlier. Rai turns to lay her cheek on top of the boy's head. She felt his head gently push back on her cheek in one flinch, but immediately relaxes. A soft whimper has made the Lightning's Mistress chuckle.
"You'll be fine. Promise." Rai whispers, offering another smile to the boy.
Sniffing away the last of his sobs, the boy huddles close to Rai. "Fine," he repeats, his voice muffling on the fabrics.
"Yes, fine." Rai laughs, patting the boy's hair once more. "Let's prepare for dinner, shall we? It's time to rest, after all."
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The boy has no knowledge of what any of those mean, but he follows Rai as she paces around the tent, preparing a sleeping bag to lay Aiden on, as well as a spare blanket embroidered with the Juni family's emblem of a bright oval jade and running vertical lines that jagged in the middle. Rai has wrapped the blanket around the boy's lanky body, which fits him perfectly and covers past his knees. The boy, despite initially owning an ebony sleeveless shirt and brown shorts, revel in the blanket with a joyful dance, for it has covered much of his limbs, as if the darkness given by the cloth is giving him a big embrace. Next, the boy peers down as the Lightning's Mistress prepares dinner.
Heleian Encantos are the last of the large settlements that still adhere to the old ways of living. While the country of CANDEMARO has been progressing both in terms of academic knowledge and technical skills, the Heleian Encantos; despite being popularly known to be formidable elemental warriors, choose to rely on nature for much of their day to day chores. They believe that by preserving these simple habits in their daily lives, they are ensuring the flourishing of their culture in the long run. In terms of cooking, each household will have a portable furnace made out of red clay. Every family tent is also furnished with an opening at the top; near the wooden post, for ventilation during indoor cooking. Much of the cuisines comprising the Encantos' diet is mostly foraged.
Rai sets a metal grill on top of the furnace and sets the firewood underneath ablaze with a thin white streak of lightning from her index finger. The tiny spark has elicited a surprised coo from the boy with ebony hair, making Rai smirk proudly at the feat. As the fire burns, the Lightning's Mistress retrieved a small wicker basket from the side and chooses the leanest pieces of brown mushroom stalks to cook on the grill. The boy creeps over Rai's shoulders, looking at the contents of the wicker basket.
"How was it, huh? These are the most flavorsome fungi you can find around here~" Rai giggles as she holds one of the thinner mushrooms near the boy's nose.
The boy instinctively sniffs, humming at the faint pungent aroma. He takes the mushroom on his hand, pulling close to him as he examines it more. Rai notices the gesture as she flips the fungi on the grill. "You can eat it as it is, you know. Grilled ones are better, but raw is also nice."
Nodding at the Lightning's Mistress's advice, the boy promptly bites off the little ball of the mushroom, chewing it rigorously to not miss out on its flavor. Finding it favorable, the boy pops the rest of the stalk in his mouth. Rai grins. She pokes one of the grilled mushrooms on a metal skewer, offers it to the boy, and resumes tending on the other fungi on the grill.
Receiving the mushroom on the skewer with steam piping from its shriveled, juicy stalk has captivated the boy's appetite. Taking in the aroma has proved that the grilled fungus has more intensified smell than that of the raw one and the boy excitedly bites on it, not realizing that the heat of the food will give him a burn. He reflexively pulls out the mushroom out of his mouth, crying at the discomfort he has experienced. Rai flinches at the sudden reaction and quickly gives the boy a glass of water, patting his back in reassurance of his safety.
In the midst of the noisy predicament, Aiden Maris stirs up from his sleep, irritatingly opening his eyes in search of the people responsible for his interrupted rest. He hurls a blob of glowing water towards the direction of Rai and the boy, the subsequent drops of water splashing from the impact drops on the grill and sizzles greatly.
"Will you cut it out?! I'm trying to sleep!" Aiden hollers. Rai and the boy with the ebony hair looks at Aiden in surprise and the moment Aiden and the boy's gazes meet, the frustration in Aiden's eyes were replaced with immense shock.
"Monster!"
Aiden's voice is clear with terror as he points a finger to the boy with ebony hair. He cannot be mistaken. Those bright glowing red eyes were the same ones that greeted him in the Beda Rainforest! He gulps, remembering how a silhouette bearing the red glare pounced on him, terminating his consciousness immediately. Thinking he might be hurt, he quickly scans his body, patting every skin to make sure he is not hurting anywhere. He sighs in relief, but seeing how the Lightning's Mistress is so close to the person he perceives to be a danger, Aiden pushes one of his palms forward, gathering a small blob of glowing water on it as a threat.
"G-Get out of there, Rai! This person is--"
"Awa'a." the boy declares the same way he declares it to Rai back in the Rainforest.
Expecting to receive the same reaction as the Lightning's Mistress had, the boy stands up and heads to Aiden's direction. With the moment of terror reeling back to the Water's Son, Aiden lets go of the water he has been collecting on his palm and it shoots in the air with enough force for the boy to tumble back.
Barely missing the burning furnace as he falls, the boy quickly gets on his feet, pulling the blanket out of the fire's way. Having taken the response annoying, the boy furrows his brows and glares at Aiden.
Aiden flinches at the expression on the boy's face. While his initial fear in the Rainforest has held him back, seeing that his opponent is on equal footing as him in terms of appearance, Aiden seeks to extract his revenge and keep Rai out of danger.
Meanwhile, the Lightning's Mistress has taken the mushrooms off of the grill all the while stuttering at who to stop. She raises her hands, one towards Aiden's direction, and the other blocking the boy with the ebony hair.
"Calm down, you two! Let's talk over this."
But Aiden Maris didn't listen. Rai knows that the Water's Son is as stubborn as his family and will do anything he has put his mind on. She is prepared to shoot a tiny spark of her lightning through the air as a reprimand to Aiden the moment he releases another attack, yet the intensity of what is weak for her might be too much for a child. Her uncertainty has gotten the best of her and she unable to notice on time that the Water's Son has already shot another ball of water towards the boy with ebony hair.
Rai turns her head in worry for the other boy, as she is still unaware of his capabilities. She tries to catch the attack with her other hand, but the boy stretches out his own palm to do so; taking the blob of water just as how Aiden has released it. Then, as if mimicking the Water's Son, the boy thrusts his palm back to Aiden, the blob of water hitting Aiden square in the face with the force of a tiny water balloon.
Aiden Maris falls back on the sleeping bag, sputtering as he wipes away the water off of his face. "I-Impossible..!" he coughs, sitting up and staring at the boy. "Are you..." he glances at Rai, who is equally dumbfounded. "Is he... f-from the Maris family?!"
"Maris..." the boy repeats without hesitation, relaxing his shoulders with a soft exhale.
It has taken a while for Rai to understand the question and she scratches her head in utter confusion. "I-I don't believe he is. Really, I do not reckon!" She reaches out for the boy with the ebony hair, who immediately goes to her arms. The Lightning's Mistress gently presses her arms against the boy. "He shouldn't be." She softly adds.
Unsatisfied with the reply, Aiden stomps towards their direction, pinches the boy in the cheek and angrily asks: "Then, who are you?!"
The boy with the ebony hair stares at Aiden. He did not flinch when he got his cheek pinched. His dark irises seem to glow with curiosity at the inquiry. Who is he? The boy blinks. Something comes to mind, as if someone has whispered it to him mentally.
"Mi..."
Rai and Aiden gasp at the incoming reply.
"Mirano Suri...is me."
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To be Continued...
*Nomeo (n.) Ent.,: "unwanted" Encantos believed that the nomeos are malevolent beings made by the Beda Rainforest to wreak havoc in the community.