It might be a Heleian Encanto thing to awaken with the Sun rising, but Aiden, with his experiences last night, stayed asleep until the sun was about to begin its descent. Its hottest rays penetrated the glass window of Aiden's room and reached out to his eyelids, snapping the sleep off of the Encanto.
With two grunts, Aiden sits up, the foreign walls worrying him for a moment. He rubs his sea eyes as he moves towards the window, opening it and basking further in the heat of the late afternoon. How merry the noise in the streets below! The Valazians and their complicated, but beautifully colored clothes speckle across the limestone streets and Aiden has never seen so many people trodding to and fro a wide road. He smiles widely, heart fluttering at the thought of mingling with them and helping out with their chores.
Something, somehow interrupts the swelling of his heart and Aiden reaches out to his chest as he moves away from the window. His smile immediately turns sour as his fingers cups around a strange item lodged on his skin. Now that he is more aware of it than last night, he shrieks loudly, for it is not always that you find a foreign item on your person in the weirdest way possible.
A quick clopping on the wooden floorboards catches Aiden's ears and by the time he turns to the door, it has swung open with a loud creak, and little Ember is already running towards him, her crooked eyeglasses indicating her distraught at the sound of Aiden's screams.
"What what what?!" Ember asks frantically.
Aiden stutters badly, unable to begin to explain how he has something lodged on his skin, but he fumbles with his royal blue shirt, gurgling panic noises as he shows Ember his bare chest.
"W-What is this?!" he finally exclaims.
Little Ember shifts her big glasses to better fit the bridge of her nose and squints to better examine what's in front of her. Soon after immediately recognizing the jagged stone stuck in their visitor's skin, she freezes seated on the floor, as if a lightning struck her on her spot.
The panic has since settled down, and Aiden is able to catch some of his sanity back when he notices how quiet little Ember became. The empty disbelief in the child's eyes has made Aiden a bit curious, though still perplexed, of the thing stuck in him.
Trying to take a good look at it, he twisted his right wrist twice, attempting to make a small ball of water. As he did, Aiden could feel his chest tighten, and what was a small thing for him to do before, required a couple more effort from him to manifest and make it translucent enough. What Aiden hadn't seen up until this point was, as he struggled to make a ball of water out of thin air, the stone on his chest glowed and fluctuated twice, the light from it disappearing once Aiden was successful in getting his water out to his palm.
The stone's behavior has shaken little Ember's senses back, and she blinks twice, inching closer to Aiden.
"Where have you gotten yourself into!?" she asks, almost shouting.
"I-I don't know!” Aiden has released his water ball and it landed on his legs, wetting his clothes and the floor beneath him. The sensation comes as a shock, and Aiden, for the first time in his life, is now fussing over damp spots. “It's the first time I've seen this since waking up in the gutters!" he manages to add.
As if another lightning struck little Ember, she stomped so hard Aiden thought the floorboards broke beneath her heels. "Gutters! Oh, great! You mean the ones past the Main Roads?!" Her voice is still carrying a hint of anger, and Aiden cannot help but to simply meet the little girl’s stare with his own wavering eyes.
"Oh dear! Oh my..." Little Ember’s voice softens upon the Water’s Son’s quiet confirmation. Her golden eyes are still as wide with shock before, but it soon lost its way to the empty space, for possibilities begin to surge across her mind-- what could have happened and what couldn’t have… the implications of it now-- and she ponders; not with fear, but with worry on the journey Aiden must have experienced last night.
At this point in time, Aiden has scooted away from the puddle, attempting to draw out the liquid from the wood, but to no avail. The stone in his chest continues to glow in sync with his struggle, and Ember comes to a definite conclusion as to what may have led to Aiden’s current predicament.
“Come.” Little Ember says firmly as she picks herself up from the floor and marches to the door while dusting off her apron.
“To where?” Aiden asks, following her exit and downstairs. His mind is still occupied by his wet pants and he occasionally pats the damp spot as he moves.
“You will know when we get there.” Little Ember replies, gliding past the beaded curtains and towards the dining area, swiftly pushing a little stepladder against the sink so she can reach the cupboards above it.
Aiden follows the area hesitantly, eyes roaming around with curiosity. The dining are isn’t as spic and span as the rest of the rooms upstairs; definitely as cluttered with trinkets and odd decorations as Pela’s storefront is. The only saving grace of it is that the sink and the table is free of any leftovers or dirty dishes. He continues to indulge in the spots of colors and oddities and has not paid attention to the variety of items that little Ember has been packing on a small brown leather bag that almost matches her brown leather apron.
By the time Aiden has taken notice, Little Ember has climbed down off the step ladder and is now zooming towards the front door. He hesitantly follows her to the back of the shop, then to a series of narrow alleyways formed by the back walls of many other buildings that face the white limestone road. While conveniently straight and lacking any obstacles, the area is barely within the reach of the sun and the eyes of most people, so it is unkempt and collects more dust and cobwebs.
For little Ember, the dirty pathway gives her easy access to many other parts of town, away from the eyes of the common folk. What a little girl her age (and of others) might be hiding from the rest of Valaz will be revealed soon, but they press forward, sidestepping at times to fit in between walls of buildings that almost close against the main Valazian wall. In the short journey, Aiden finds the area repulsive with its filth, and his affinity with the Darkness does not help in giving him an idea of the grime and dust that stuck against the walls and most likely had rubbed against his poncho. Still, he persists, for his mind is more rattled with the idea of a stone lodged against his chest and little Ember may be leading him to an answer.
The end of the alleyway was marked by a less claustrophobic street that welcomes more sunlight. When Aiden and little Ember emerge to it, the limestone path is no longer visible, and the buildings that greet them seem older, with chipping brick walls that will seem to break with one gust of strong wind. As Aiden and little Ember trod down the equally ancient street, the Water’s Son cannot help but to compare the rows of buildings here to that of the ones by the White Road. It seems that this area of Valaz is neglected, with less people outside.
With every next building they pass by, Aiden thinks they’re about to enter it, given that little Ember’s frisky arms show as if she’s about to turn and push the next door open. It has taken about three false alarms and Aiden almost misses following the little girl when they swing a rusty fence gate.
The house they enter is quite peculiar, as it is the only old stone house in the area with a low cobblestone wall around a yard with several crops. One plot on the far left seems to have been destroyed, and Aiden immediately spots that unusual area like an eyesore.
It’s easy for little Ember to traverse the path leading to the door. Pushing it open elicits a great creak, and Aiden worries that it might break, but the door simply swings back a bit, and Aiden is more concerned on how the little bag little Ember sounded on the rickety table as she places it down.
Much of the afternoon sun is now disappearing, with little of its rays reaching past the small windows of the house. Despite their arrival, none seems to stir within the vicinity. Aiden settles by the table as little Ember disappears in one of the other rooms, and the Water’s Son recognizes the specks of living within the shadows, even though the house seems old.
As the last of the sun disappears, Aiden flinches in recognition of something different. Curious, he follows it, out of the cobblestone walls, past more forgotten buildings, and to the horizon, furthest from the posh white roads, where an area enveloped with charred darkness of destruction lies. There are no physical indications of the dangers of the area, so Aiden, to the best of his curiosity, walks towards it, for he is shocked to see the drastic differences between the road where he is right now and the one overlooking the opposite horizon. Without his knowledge, the stone on his ebony choker is now glowing, contrasting the last orange rays with its soft glow. It fluctuates, much like the stone on his chest, but this is more in tune with the rhythm of his heart; a bit faster, since the anticipation of the unknown is weighing on Aiden’s mind and body.
As the sky turns purple with the blanket of stars and Aiden inches closer and closer to the visibly charred walk path, he could make silhouettes out from the shadows further, but the presences… seem not to hold any of its shapes… what is it…
A small but tight hand grips Aiden by the poncho and with an immense tug, he falls back. As he does, more little hands grab him by the limbs and not even a blink later, he finds himself raised and cruising the air, a multitude of clopping beneath him.
“Questions later!” A small voice of a girl sneers before Aiden can even let out a complaint.
Although puzzled, Aiden obliges, sea eyes now fully seeing the transition of the sky. The stars are still as plenty as ever, though there seems to be little light emerging from the buildings as he passes by the path. Turning his head briefly to the right, he found small specks of lights; probably from lamps, barely illuminating a room or two. A sharp left has almost made him fall, but the hands gripping his shirt by the waist clutch on him even tighter, though the people carrying him seem not to care for his dangling foot hit a stone something and Aiden shuts his eyes with a yelp.
When he opens his eyes, his vision tumbles, for the ones carrying him have thrown him to the ground, the crunching floorboards might have splintered and poked some bits on his cheeks. Grunting some more as he sits up, he feels the warmth of light in front of his face, and he rubs his eyes open to see where he is.
“Dear, Halli, it’s him again..!” a boy’s worried voice squeals to his left.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Turning to it, Aiden, now with eyes open, squints to the dimness. He recognizes the rickety interior as the house he and Ember were in earlier. The boy, somehow intimidated with his squints, whimpers, and Aiden watches as he scurry behind another figure.
Aiden could barely see who it was they sought refuge to, for the light that had brought him back to his senses was somehow carried by this… person right in front of his face. Squinting some more, Aiden peers past the glow. A freckled girl; perhaps almost as tall as he is, with a wary look on her golden eyes that were intensified by the faint glow between him and her.
Another boy joins them, he too, with a cautious expression. With the earlier statement, Aiden figures that it wasn’t the first time he was received by these children, and his jaw locks in deep thought.
As he is about to inquire about something, a loud creaking sounds off from his back, followed by another quick clopping. Before Aiden can turn around, a pair of arms wrap around his neck and little Ember lunges forward, tightly hugging him by the neck. little Ember lifts her head, and Aiden finds her scowling to the people in front of them. If it weren’t for the crooked oversized glasses, Aiden could have seen how seriously angry the child was.
“I knew it was you!” Ember scowls. Interestingly, though her voice carries so much spite, it never seems to go above a whisper. “How dare you mess with a Forest’s Keeper!”
“Relax, little Ember.” One of the boys steps in front of the glow, one palm outstretched. “It’s not what you think.” he replies in the same small voice.
“Please stop making excuses! Do you know how much pain it took for him to manifest his gift?!” Ember has now disembarked from her cling behind Aiden, stepping forward to the three people.
“That’s what he gets for abusing his gift!” The boy replies. “Plus, what was he thinking?! Loitering on the outskirts of the Hard Alley. If anything, you should be grateful we brought him here alive!”
“Like I will! There hasn’t even been a recent incident! How dare you people decide for others so ea--”
In a second, the glow that had shown Aiden much of the action between these people disappears, and a sharp slapping sound emanates from the area. What follows is a thud, then a moment of silence.
“Do you really wish for something to happen first before you take action, Ember?”
The voice came from the young girl. As Aiden holds the shaking Ember, he looks up to the trio. He has had his senses somehow in control at the time, and his sea eyes recognize that the girl is also trembling, the faintest moonlight hitting the window from the left, giving vision to the children’s freckled faces, who are fraught with a multitude of emotions.
“Something lurks there… something that has caused the destruction of the Hard Alley. How can you even understand when you’re not here when it happened?” the girl’s voice comes out a bit louder this time.
“Berry..!” The boy from behind the girl squeaks.
“And as if the Bellodore is here to help! We’re no better when they catch us outside during the night!” The girl’s voice seems to grow even louder, and the boys beside her start to take notice. They attempt to pull her away, to cool off, but the girl persists, clamoring down to Aiden and Ember’s level, index finger dangerously hovering to their faces.
With a flicker or two, the girl’s finger begins to glow, which makes Aiden gasp. Little Ember grunts at the appearance of such a sharp orange glow and she stares bitterly towards the girl’s face. At that point, Aiden realizes how similar their features are.
“Are’cco is doing all of this for us, Ember. Cast away your selfishness for once.”
With a whip of her finger away, the light dissipates and the girl stands up, stomping away and disappearing to one of the rooms. More silence encapsulates the remaining people in the dining area. Aiden slowly looks into little Ember, who has slumped against him, as if lifeless. However, he can hear within that someone has been sniffling; as if trying to contain their tears. Asking little Ember, Aiden soon realizes that it was not her, but one of the boys with them; specifically, the one who scurried behind the girl earlier.
Though seemingly intrusive, Aiden asks if he was okay. The other boy, who bears a striking resemblance to the other, nods.
“I’ll get the first aid for you, Ember.” he says, then walks past them as he goes up the stairs.
Aiden slowly stands up, carrying Ember to the dining area to sit on one of the chairs. He does the same for the crying boy, leading him to sit on a chair opposite to Ember. Since the table is closest to the window, where the moonlight is plenty, Aiden now has a better view of Ember’s suffering, as well as the little boy’s despair. For all that he is sniffling and crying, he seems to suppress wailing, as Aiden notices how hard he has been clenching his fists.
Aiden hears the footsteps coming down the stairs and welcomes the other lad with a thanks as he receives a small woven box.
The other boy shrugs his shoulders, offering a small smile. He hesitantly shrugs, “Apologies for causing a scene. I shall tend to my older sister.”
Aiden nods, offering the same smile. “I think I can take it from here… though, I’d love to hear everything… for clarity, you know.”
“Right…” the boy turns to give the direction where his sibling disappeared a long stare, but eventually looks back to Aiden. “I suppose we do owe you an explanation… and an apology.”
Recognizing the boy’s desire to be with his sibling, Aiden waves a hand dismissively, gesturing for him to go. Aiden then turns to the other two children, who he now finds sitting on one of the chairs, little Ember sitting on the other boy’s lap, nuzzling against each others’ arms and weeping silently. Sadness wafts towards Aiden at the scene, their closeness briefly reminds him of his time with Mirano. As he watches the siblings in a shower of moonlight, he has somehow felt guilty that he’s the one who has to break them off.
The two children, somehow having been able to release much of their sadness, oblige, with little Ember climbing down and approaching Aiden as he presses a prepared ice pack against her swollen cheek. She winces as the coolness touches her skin, and the boy yelps in reaction.
“D-Does it really hurt that much?” he asks. The shakiness of his voice has made Aiden think that he might cry again.
Little Ember shakes her head, taking the pack from Aiden and settling on the seat next to the boy. “It’s just like her other slaps; still weak.”
“Don’t joke! From the sounds of that one, it’s strong enough to fracture your jaw!” the boy remarks.
Little Ember shushes him, to which he reflexively covers his mouth. Aiden peers at the gesture curiously.
“Why do we have to keep it low?” he asks.
The boy is first to reply. “T-The Bellodore may apprehend us..!”
Aiden recognizes the name. It must be those guards that little Ember and Pela have shielded him from last night.
“They do not like it when people are out and about during the night. And there are two signals they rely on: the light and the sound. Patrols will pick up anyone who disobeys the curfew and send them to the dungeons!”
“That’s a bit cruel for a curfew…” Aiden comments, furrowing his brows.
“There was never a rule like this in Valaz before. But the Bellodore has descended upon those who do not wish to follow with a brutal iron fist that most Valazians eventually conceded.”
“Does that have anything to do with the… abandoned place there?” Aiden asks.
The boy shrugs, looking up to their rickety ceiling with uncertainty. “Perhaps… Are’cco mentioned that the Hard Alley was a bustling place of learning and commerce and when the Three Kings arrive, well,”
“Speaking of,” little Ember turns to the boy. “That’s another thing you have to explain, Copper! Why does he have a Tanzimite stone?!”
The boy Ember called Copper whimpers once more. With a couple more presses, he eventually relates the happenings of yesterday afternoon; how they found him crashed on their little garden; dried as a plum, then treated by Arell; who Aiden learns to be the children’s oldest brother.
“Is this why I am unable to manifest my gift anymore?!” Aiden asks.
Copper nods. “A-Arre’cco mentions how it’s reckless of you to use up your Mana to the point of death. That’s why he decided to implant you with the Tanzimite… to keep you from using your gift beyond its capacity.”
“Playing god like that!” Ember comments with a cross of her arms.
“We’ve told you many times how Are’cco’s actions are always based on a series of just judgments.” A voice from behind Aiden emerges, and the boy from earlier joins them on the table. He takes the seat across the other boy and Aiden gasps at how strikingly similar the two boys are. Seeing the shock on Aiden's face, the other boy adds, “I’m Draven. He, and the other girl, Berry, are a set of triplets.”
“You say that, but all of you always fail to explain the reasons behind those decisions.” Ember harrumphs. “How unfair!”
“I-I do not mean to intrude, but I agree with little Ember.” Aiden interjects, clutching his chest. “As long as I am unable to comprehend why I am punished for having this stone in my body, I do not think I can accept the action your brother did to me.”
Draven purses his lips. “To be fair, Are’cco mentions that having a Tanzimite is not as bad as it looks. It doesn’t fully restrict you from creating your gift, it simply regulates its usage. You will still be able to control any existing water.”
“Well, that’s a bit of relief to hear, but the predicament still stands. Manifested gifts are powerful compared to manipulating existing ones.” Aiden replies, squinting his eyes.
The boy simply shrugs. He continues to stare longingly at the closed door behind Aiden, and the Water’s Son somehow understands that the only one who has the ability to teach him about the current limitations of his body is the Berry, the other children’s big sister.
A soft shuffling sounds in the area. It’s Copper, who has gotten out of the table and has run upstairs. The group can hear the faint clattering of items and when Copper comes tumbling down, he hands something familiar to Aiden.
“My knapsack! Thank you!” he whispers with a big smile. “Now I can continue and enroll in Magna Picea!
In the darkness, the boys glance at each other.
“I do not have a good understanding of your endeavors, but why persist in getting an education there now?”
“I have only heard positive comments about the institution in Hele. If I wish to become a Maven worthy of uncovering the country’s history, I have to get the best education I can.”
Before pressing the topic further, Draven looks around, as if even more wary. Then, he invites all to hide under the table. Despite Ember’s reluctance, Draven continues, in a voice even smaller than a whisper now.
“The Three Kings from Solferino have taken over the place. The curriculum once developed by the Digma Academics is long gone as any practicing one has been labeled as a Rogue and thus persecuted.”
“Pela said the same thing!” Aiden hisses.
Draven and Copper nod in unison in the dark. “It’s not as glaring as the persecution ISoS are doing with Pan… it’s subtle, but it seeps throughout our community.” Copper says.
“He is right. You’ve wondered earlier why we have to be at home by nightfall, right? It’s part of the discriminatory acts the Three Kings and their army, the Bellodore, are doing to the people of Valaz.” Draven adds, gesturing to the door.
Something about this scenario has reminded Aiden of the Sorcery he has witnessed in Mado, preventing much of the townspeople from living their lives. However, he cannot fathom how large of an effort it can be to make a city as big as Valaz to bend. “Well, if the Three Kings have brought nothing but suffering to the city, has there been no effort to kick them out?”
“Oh, there have been attempts… maybe…” Copper whimpers once more. “...but all have been unsuccessful. Plus, the education in Magna Picea is the only thing that keeps many of the Dwaharos’ livelihood intact, so I think… just a thought…” Copper’s voice almost disappears. “That's the reason why not a lot of people would want them to disappear.”
“And our big brother has had such suspicions. He has recently entered Magna Picea to verify and expose the Usors once and for all!” Draven adds.
As this is the first she’s hearing this, Ember lets out a silent shriek, mouth wide open.
“Was that the reason why he’s not here?!”
Shhh!
“How reckless of him to infiltrate the premises alone!” little Ember hisses even more.
Draven places a hand in front of Ember in an attempt to appease her. “We can assure you that he did not go there without a plan. Are’cco persuaded us to stay low and look into the matters close to home to see if it’s anything related to the governing body of Magna Picea.”
“When you say… matters close to home, what do you mean?” Aiden asks, raising an eyebrow.
A far BOOM sounds to their left. It was faint, but the tremors that travel towards the house are immense, and everyone immediately turns their head to the sound.
“That.” Draven says in his normal, speaking voice as he crawls out of the table with everybody else.
---