The horror of war manifests not only in the cacophony of violence that rends the earth but also in the silent screams of shattered souls that echo across desolate landscapes. It is a realm where innocence is consumed by the flames of conflict, and the very fabric of civilization is torn asunder.
Horrors of war
Scholar José Narosky
Calodan kingdom, year 2273.
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“We only have a week left before the soldiers take them away.” Unrid finished in a somber tone, and a tense silence descended on the room. Aodhán let out a deep breath. He’d thought about joining the military, but after a lot of reading, he’d realized that the best place to grow was the academy.
In fact, there were magical academies in every sector, but the best of them were the ones in the 1st, 2nd, and, surprisingly, 5th sectors. These three magical academies were the best Ragnarok had to offer, and if he could get enrolled in one of them, then he would gain much.
“Is there anything we can do?” Synové asked, and Aldric responded.
“The only other option is to get enrolled in a school; Daruk will turn sixteen in the next two days, and if he awakens, then he and Aodhán can leave before the soldiers act.”
“The soldiers won’t just sit by and let an awakened walk out of the village.” Unrid replied.
“There’s still a possibility that I don’t awaken, though; what happens then?” Daruk asked.
“The possibility that you don’t awaken is very low.” Aodhán replied. He’d read many books on the awakening process, and Daruk had a pretty good chance of awakening.
“Oh Raol. Heavens help me.” Synové lamented as she clasped Daruk’s hand tightly.
“Calm down, Synové; we will figure something out.” Unrid voiced out tersely, and silence descended on the living room once again until Aldric suggested. “What if they don’t walk out of the village? What if they’re smuggled out?”
A calculative expression crossed Unrid’s features, but Synové didn’t welcome the idea at all.
“Smuggled?” She asked. “Aldric, are you dealing with smugglers?”
Her voice was laced with a hint of accusation and disappointment, causing Aldric to quickly defend himself. “I’m not dealing with smugglers; I just happen to know one.”
“How is that any different?” Synové shouted, but Unrid cut her off and asked. “What does this person smuggle?”
“I don’t know, but I know he has a ship as well as a cloaking concept. He could be in this room, and no one would know.” Aldric replied.
“Do you trust this person?” Unrid asked, but Aldric shook his head. “I only trust him as far as I can throw him, but I know he delivers and doesn’t disappoint.”
“Then it’s settled.” Unrid replied with a hard expression. “If Daruk awakens, then your friend will smuggle them out, and if not, he’ll take Aodhán alone.”
“We are not actually friends.” Aldric started, but Synové interjected. “This is dangerous, Unrid; even if they’re successfully smuggled out, the council—”
“I’m aware of the danger, Syn, and I’ll deal with the council when the time comes. What matters right now is that our children are safe and excluded from this damn war.”
Aodhán sighed. He woud have had to take drastic measures if Unrid hadn't agreed to the smuggling. War wasn't for him, not yet. He also didn’t miss the fact that Unrid had counted him among his children, and a warm feeling bubbled within him. The Brystions were the first family he’d ever had, and although he was conscious of the fact that he was still an outsider, he was slowly adapting.
They settled to wait after that, and the next day, when the harvest festival came around, the dull brown decorations didn’t help matters.
The village square, located about half a mile away from the center of the village, was crowded with people. A group of villagers acted as a live band for the occasion, but it was obvious that the minds of people were on a different matter entirely, as all they discussed were the soldiers and their possible intentions for coming to the village.
The mayor was yet to make any announcements, but speculation had run rampant, and by the time the festival was coming to a close, the villagers were twitching with nervous energy.
At the end of the ceremony, the mayor hesitantly took to the stage to deliver the news. There was a beat of silence as the villagers processed his words, and then all hell broke loose as cries of fear and outrage filled the air.
Families with awakened children within the range of fifteen to eighteen mourned, desperately hugging their children as they cursed the kingdom and its soldiers.
The mayor tried to calm them down, but they barely listened to him, and after a while, he gave up. When night came, sullen and distraught parents brought their fifteen-year-old children to the village’s entrance, where the mayor performed a small traditional ceremony before sending them into the Warren Woods.
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The Wildharvest was a traditional ceremony to celebrate the coming of age of children who would be turning sixteen before the next harvest festival, and this year, there were only seventeen of them.
The children rushed into the forest with weapons strapped to their backs. Daruk was among them, and he was carrying the sword Unrid had bought for Aodhán before the expedition. With one more look in his family’s direction, he rushed after the others.
The families and friends of the children waited throughout the night, but they were not too worried as, after the expedition, the number of creatures in the woods had drastically reduced.
As the sun rose the next morning, the children began to come out of the forest, and unsurprisingly, many came out empty-handed, while some came out with the carcass of a single creature or two, so when Daruk came out with the carcass of three different creatures, Aodhán and the Brystions were very surprised.
Daruk’s expression was disgusted as he handed the carcasses to the mayor, who then bestowed a mark on his forehead and congratulated him on successfully completing the Wildharvest.
Aodhán thought it was a weird tradition, but well, no one asked him. He spent the next two days meditating and resting, as he had nothing to do outside the house and didn’t really feel like reading.
The streets were bustling as usual, but the faces of the villagers were hard and annoyed. Unrid attended meeting after meeting as the mayor tried different tactics to at least increase the recruitment age, but their efforts were futile as the lieutenant remained adamant.
Synové, on the other hand, was panicking, and it took the combined effort of the entire house to keep her from spiraling out of control.
Aldric returned the evening of the second day with news that he had secured their passage on the smuggler’s vessel. Aodhán had already packed everything he would need for the journey, as whether Daruk awakened or not, he still needed to leave.
As they ate dinner that evening, the atmosphere was tense and quiet, save for the occasional scuffing of steel spoons against ceramic plates.
After dinner, Aodhán returned to his room to check and confirm that he had packed all that he needed, but a few minutes later, a knock resounded against the door, and he opened it to find Daruk, who was nervously biting his nails.
“You shouldn’t do that.” Aodhán said with a small smile as he gestured for him to come in, and Daruk groaned. “I can’t help myself; I’m too nervous.”
“That’s understandable.” Aodhán replied as he folded a black linen shirt and placed it into the traveling bag that lay open on his bed.
Daruk leaned against the wall, watching in silence while Aodhán worked, but a moment later he stated: “Many people awaken at midnight.”
Aodhán turned with an amused expression and replied. “Why, thank you, Daruk, for that piece of information.”
“What I’m trying to say is that it’s possible that I’ll awaken tonight, and I’m scared.”
“Scared of what? Aodhán asked, turning to focus his attention on Daruk, who sniffed and replied. “Scared of all the options; scared that I might awaken and that I might not; scared of leaving the Warren; and scared to stay because I know I’ll have to leave eventually.”
Aodhán sighed. “You have every right to be scared; I am too; I just control it better.”
Daruk stayed silent for a while before asking. “How did your awakening go?”
The first word that came to Aodhán’s mind was terrible, but he stopped himself from adding to Daruk’s anxiety and lied. “It was pretty normal; it started with a mild headache, then I started burning up; a while after that, I fell unconscious, and a few hours later, I woke up feeling different and, well, awakened.”
The description he’d just given Daruk was the standard awakening process he’d read about in books, and although some individuals experienced variations of it, it usually wasn’t as traumatizing as his own had been.
“Well, I hope mine is just as seamless.” Daruk replied, and Aodhán responded with a casual shrug. “However it goes, you’ll have me and your whole family rooting for you.”
“I really appreciate that.” Daruk replied, and a few moments later, he went downstairs.
The entire family was seated in the living room when Aodhán finally descended the stairs. Not a word was spoken as the clock ticked towards midnight, and Aodhán decided to use the opportunity to meditate, but the tense atmosphere kept him from focusing, so he counted down the minutes along with the rest of the family.
Unrid kept checking Daruk for any strange symptoms, but when midnight passed and nothing happened, they all began to worry except Synové, who looked slightly relieved. All hope wasn’t lost yet, as not everyone awakened by midnight, so they kept waiting. At one point, Aldric began humming a soft tune, and before long, the melody of it caused Aodhán to doze off.
…
It was 2 a.m. when a slight rumble of the earth jolted him, and he woke up to see Daruk furiously sweating even as Unrid tore the clothes off his body, leaving him only in his underpants.
A moment later, the earth rumbled again, but this time, it was so light that it barely rattled anything. It was obvious what affinity Daruk would awaken, and Aodhán chuckled as he imagined how disappointed Daruk would be, as he’d once mentioned detesting the element of earth.
Apart from the continuous trembling of the earth and the heat emanating from him, nothing else seemed to be happening. Unrid looked down at his youngest child with a proud smile before moving to comfort Synové, who was trembling slightly as she clutched Daruk’s hands in hers.
The whole process took a little over two hours, and when Daruk regained consciousness, the chair he’d sat on was thoroughly soaked.
“Congratulations brother.” Aldric said, stretching his left hand out for a handshake while using the right to cover his nose and protect himself from the stench of Daruk’s awakening.
“Thanks, I guess.” Daruk replied sullenly, ignoring Aldric’s outstretched hand to look at his own, and a moment later he said. “You were right, Aodhán; the system truly is cruel.”
Aodhán chuckled. “I know this wasn’t the affinity you wanted, but it’s still a very good one.”
Daruk sighed wearily as his father and mother congratulated him, but after a few minutes, Unrid said to him, “Go, take a bath, and pack your things; you cannot afford to stay here any longer.”
Synové burst into tears at the comment, and she wrapped her hands around him, not caring about the grime and filth that coated his skin.
After a lot of urging and consoling, she finally let him go and immediately turned to Aodhán. “Please—”
“Daruk is my brother.” Aodhán interrupted. “He’s my family, just like the rest of you, and I’ll protect him with all I have.”
Overwhelmed, Synové hugged him, sobbing quietly in his arms. She released him a moment later, and he went to his room to take a shower.
Half an hour later, Aodhán and Daruk were seated in the living room, waiting for Aldric’s friend, the smuggler whom he had contacted a while ago. Synové held onto Daruk’s right hand, squeezing it so tightly that it turned slightly blue, but he didn’t complain.
It took another half hour before a knock rang out, and they all jumped in fear before Aldric rushed to the door and opened it.
The man who stepped into the room looked nothing like any smuggler Aodhán had ever seen; in fact, he seemed more like a noble than a degenerate.
The man gave an elaborate bow: “Greetings, I’m Eldridge Raventhorn, and I’m at your service.”