“It's probably best to start this when I first arrived in Laurel." Len said, scratching his beard. "It's been almost twenty-six years now.”

“Why? Did you have something to do with it?” I asked.

He gave me an unamused stare. Shutting up time.

“I’d left Tiamantis months prior due to some…unfortunate events. I’d planned to see all of Kniyas with my own two eyes. To see what else the world held aside from blustering blizzards and craggy peaks. Denndrun was the first stop, but I found out quickly that I disliked the innards of mountains nearly as much as the outside. But fighting monsters in those giant caves was so incredibly suffocating. I left after helping out with about three raids.“

I leaned back into my seat, Len stood up from his.

“I was stunned by The Forest. So much color. All the plant life was so vibrant and beautiful, especially when you grew up in the monochrome world of The Peaks. Seeing such…life reignited something inside me. And right then I knew I wanted this place to be my new home.” He cracked a smile.

“At least until I got horribly lost in those trees. Me and, umm, ahem.” He cleared his throat, as if he was just about to say something he hadn’t meant to.

“I had bought a map from a passing caravan, which ended up being a huge waste of money. Damn swindler sold me a map that his little ones probably drew because Laurelhaven was nowhere even remotely close to where it pointed. So I wandered that forest for a spell, until, much like yourself, I stumbled onto a raid.” Len looked out the window again, this time placing his hands on the sill.

“It was a chaotic raid, apparently much stronger than what they had ever seen in the previous few months. Packed with flying monsters.” Len lowered his head.

I tilted my head. “What’s important about flying monsters?”

“Special preparations were necessary to handle flying monsters, special ballista and ammunition. Archers and spell slingers aren’t quite enough. The boss was a massive Black Hawken. Imagine the Tempest Roc you first encountered, now with black and brown, sleek feathers and blood red talons and beak. Horrifying creature truly. But that was the first time I saw her.” Len’s eyes lit up as he remembered. A soft smile formed on his face.

“I wasn’t the master flame caster you see before you today. I was still adept, worry not, but that battle was brutal. My focus was on a small group of bird monsters, they were heading straight for one of the ballista squadrons still setting up. I torched them out of the sky, but failed to notice one of the boss's guards break away from its master and dive, aiming straight for my back. A lethal blow that would have ended me, if not for the thorny vines that burst from the ground, wrapping around the bird’s entire body. The vines crushed the monster’s body, leaving it a bloody paste on the ground. I turned and saw the second most enchanting sight in my life. Striking auburn hair blazing in the sunset light, and a face even more gorgeous. Lirae had saved my life and stolen my heart in the same breath.”

Len’s smile grew exponentially as he recalled the event. Man, I did not take Len for such a romantic. I thought about Lirae, the green elf lady and the primary reason for spending the first week here hidden. I couldn't blame him for falling for her, she was probably the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. But in my eyes, she was nothing but a pretty vessel filled with hate. I felt that contempt every time she interacted with me. Even if it was only twice, her raging eyes told me everything. Yet if that vessel were filled with love and joy, I doubt any male alive would be able to resist. Len was clearly no exception in that regard.

Len’s smile lessened and he continued his story.

“We hadn’t spoken a single word, but our teamwork was undeniable; we followed each other's movements to near perfection. Each monster that dared soar near was met with flames or vines. No exceptions. But even for all of our exceptional prowess, the legions themselves weren’t doing so well. Only half of the ballistae had been set up, and they would have no chance of defeating the boss without all of them. So I did something stupid. Incredibly stupid.”

He turned back to me and leaned against the window sill. “I’d just gotten the ability Flame’s Fiery Waltz, my flying ability, a month before and barely had much control over it. But somebody needed to slow the attack, give the ballista squads more time. I ignited my feet and flew up to the boss.” Len closed his eyes and shivered. “I can still hear the wings beating. Slow yet powerful. Their wind pressure threw me off course more than a few times. I stared into the beast’s black eyes, challenging it. And it responded with a shriek that blew out both my eardrums. I nearly fell from the sky right there. But I stayed strong thanks to M…my hours of practice.”

Len coughed and cleared his throat again. That’s twice now. What is he hiding? Or, from the sounds of it, who?

“With my challenge accepted, I flew off in the opposite direction of the ballistae, and thank the First Ones above, it chased after me. Fire and talons clashed in the sky. We traded blows, its slicing wind tore through my armor and my flames singed its feathers. Our battle went on for minutes. Many archers and a few ballistae attempted to assist me, but the bolts and arrows were deflected immediately. Such a creature needed to be overwhelmed by a constant onslaught of attacks, not just a few potshots. Or, even simpler, to be grounded. That was my goal, if I could just take out a single wing, the battle would turn in our favor immediately.”

Len raised his hand and flames swirled around it. His eyes raged.

“Eventually, I had worn down the beast, but it had done the same to me. One of its wings burned with my flames, and I put everything I had into fanning that fire. Such focus required me to turn off my flight. Wind whistled by my ears as I fell, eyes closed, mind completely concentrating on incinerating that beast’s wing. And it worked, even better than I’d hoped. I reopened my eyes to see that every feather was aflame. Seeing its body burning, I let my mind rest for a single moment, which was a moment too soon. One of its talons shot out, slicing right into my side and then down towards my leg. It nearly took the damn thing off.”

The flames circling his hand exploded in his palms.

“But I had won. Its body crashed into the earth and every able bodied fighter swarmed the Hawken’s body, stabbing, slicing, cutting, pounding whatever body part they could get to. I extinguished the flames so that they wouldn’t be burned, but my strength failed. I could no longer activate my flying ability. So I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. But as you can clearly see, that wasn’t the end for me. I landed not on hard earth, but in the soft petals of a giant red flower. The last thing I saw before I passed out was that wondrous red hair.”

He stopped talking and basked in the memory for a time. I shifted in my seat. It was a cool story, but I didn't see how it answered any of my questions. “That’s great, Len, but what does it have to do with Fountain Massacre or even Ferals for that matter?”

He blinked away the memories, then rested his gaze on me. “We are getting there, let an old man reminisce in the fond parts of a dark tale, will you.” He said as he walked back to his desk, sitting in his chair.

“I woke up a week later in the Capitol Building infirmary, to the same sight that I had fallen asleep to. Still dazed, I reached out and caressed that beautiful hair. And received a smack across the face. Lirae is very fond of her hair, you see, and none were permitted to stroke it without her express consent.”

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I squinted my eyes at him. “I kind of think that’s true for everybody.”

“Shut it.” He said, rolling his eyes before continuing his tale.

“After the slap heard by the entire floor, we both gave apologies and introduced ourselves. Then we kept talking. And talking. We chatted about anything and everything until the wee hours of the morning. She was the daughter of the head of the Laurellen household, the most direct descendants of the First One, Laurel herself. She was being groomed to be the next Mayor of Laurelhaven at the time.” His soft grin returned.

“Our chats continued throughout my entire recovery. I regaled her with tales of Tiamantis, of my past, and why I was there. Anything and everything. She told me of Laurel Haven, its people, its culture, and food. Then onto her family. She, too, knew hardship and loss. She lost her husband two years earlier to a raid not unlike the one we’d both survived. The hurt on her heart wasn’t completely healed. But the pain dissipated from her eyes as soon as she spoke about her son. The very light of her life, Laurence. The pride and joy in her face was positively mesmerizing when she spoke of him.”

Len’s eyebrows wiggled. “And as you can probably tell, those talks blossomed into passion between the two of us.” An incredibly pervy smile grew on his face. “So much passion. Mmm.” He moaned slightly.

“AHEM.” I cleared my throat, trying to refocus the man before it got any weirder.

Len shook his head in a single rapid motion. “Yes, right, sorry about that.” He smiled awkwardly. “After a few more nights in the infirmary, I was released. Lirae took me everywhere around the city. Her favorite restaurants, her favorite stores, her favorite park in the Upper City. I met Mr. Warbler on that first trip around the city. She then invited me into her home, where the Laurellens welcomed me with open arms. Defeating a boss single handed landed me immediate favor among the elites in the city. I was offered a Legion right then by her father. I accepted, though admittedly I didn’t care all that much at the time. I was too busy trying not to make a fool of myself. It was my first interaction with highborne like them. I met Laurence soon after, when he returned from Legion training. That bright boy was a monster killing machine, even at the age of sixteen they gave him his own squad.”

I furled my brow. “Wait sixteen, how old was Lirae? How old is he now?” I blurted out.

“Oh, fifty something at the time, maybe. She is well into her seventies now. And before you say it. Elves stop aging around thirty, then rapidly age once they hit a hundred.”

“Still, she must have been robbing the cradle with you. You’re what, fifty?”

“Eh, age is but a number after twenty years.” He said with a shrug.

Definitely not a creepy thing to say. But I guess he was the babe in this scenario. I pondered it for a moment. Nah, still a bit odd.

“Stop that.” Len said.

“What?”

“Whatever thought that’s ruminating in your mind, ruining my beautiful love story.”

“Oh, come off it. What happened next?” I found myself still annoyed he hadn’t even mentioned Ferals yet, but also totally drawn into the story.

“I began to train Laurence. He had an elemental gene, like myself. Ice. Our elements may have been polar opposites, but many of the tips and tricks I learned applied universally to us elementals. And seeing as elemental genes were rare in Laurelhaven, it was the perfect fit. So I shirked my duties as a Legion Commander and member of the council, choosing instead to focus on my budding relationship with Lirae and Laurence. I practically lived in the Laurellen family home, passing the days teaching Laurence, the nights warmed by Lirae. Eventually, Lirae and I married, and I adopted Laurence as my son. It was a rocky road for a minute. Laurence could be as stubborn as his mother and would only accept the best man for her. But as he fought in raids more and more, he came to accept me and I came to love him like a trueborn son. Each day filled with more happiness than the last.”

Len’s warm smile melted into a frown, his eyes grew misty. “But it didn’t last. One raid, where a number of fire attuned monsters packed the field, spawned during the middle of my third year of my marriage. Mine and Lirae’s abilities were both inadequate for such a battle, which led Laurence to feel as if he needed to triple his own efforts. As to make sure the Laurellen name stayed strong in the eyes of the legionnaires. He was severely injured by the boss. His recovery was long, but successful in the end. Except for the havoc it wreaked on his Aura. Us elementals already have volatile Auras, so his became a mess that simple mediation could not fix.” He wiped his eyes, then looked up at me.

“Tell me, Liam, do you know anything about the Gloom? Why it exists?”

I shook my head.

“Remember our talk out in the Forest, when you thought I stole from you and your Aura spiked as you threatened me. And I stamped it back down with my own.”

How could I forget such a terrifying experience? That sensation shook me to my core. “Yes, hard to forget when you think your soul is about to be squeezed out of your body.” I answered.

Len nodded. “Apt description. But that anger, that violence you desired, is an example of Aura imbalance. I forcibly fixed it, but it's a dangerous method. You could have gone completely out of control had I failed. No, there are far safer ways to rebalance. Meditation is the simplest and longest lasting salve, but not many have the patience for it. And the Gloom’s solutions are much more pleasurable, though short lived. See after fighting and wielding a monster gene for a certain amount of time, those impulses we have as a result of the gene, the hoarding desire for you, the hunger for me, threaten to throw your Aura out of whack. But according to the First One’s teachings, indulging in those desires in a controlled environment will alleviate the tension and rebalance the monster inside.”

“So those shops along the main street in the Gloom, the brothels and bars, aren’t just there for a good time.” I said.

“Yep, each light on a shop corresponds to an impulse. Red for sensual activities, Blue for bars, yellow for fight clubs. The list goes on.”

“So it's like drinking a small poison to counteract a larger disease.”

Len bobbed his head side to side. “Not a terrible analogy. But back to why I bring this up. Lirae brought in the best of the best in Aura manipulators and meditation specialists to right Laurence’s Aura. They made little progress. I knew the solution.”

“The Gloom Stores.” I said, the words drifting from my mouth.

”Yes, I wasn’t about to let my son turn without trying everything. And like me, he had the desire to consume. So I took him to one of the green flame stores, in disguise and without Lirae’s consent while she was busy with council responsibilities. Such establishments were beneath the noble families. She would never have agreed to taking him to such a place, instead bringing in more futile manipulators. He ate and ate for hours, until he finally regained his composure. We were both ecstatic about his recovery. I asked for the barkeep and whoever the cook was so that I could thank them properly. The store was run by a father daughter duo. I shook the Reptan half elf father’s scaled hand and dropped a whole three raids worth of earnings in his palm. The man was positively ecstatic about the pay. I turned to Laurence, to tell him to thank the man. However, not a single word I said got through to him. His eyes only focused on one thing in the room.”

The gears in my brain began to turn, piecing together the rest of the story. “He was staring at the girl.” I said.

Len nodded. “Aye, the girl. I looked into his eyes and saw the same fire mine had when I was with his mother. He’d fallen hard for the girl. She was a Foxen gene girl. Pretty face framed by long sandy blonde hair and a bushy tail that matched. Laurence was enamored right then and there. I rushed us out of the store once some soldiers I recognized walked in. Upon reaching home, we decided to keep our trek a secret. I advised him to not go back, else we’d both feel his mother’s wrath. But you probably understand the fickle nature of a young man in love.”

He leaned back in his chair.

“Every moment he wasn’t training, he spent in the Gloom chasing after Lisse, that was her name. I will give the girl credit, she was sweet, but a spitfire as well, and from the stories he told me, too much for a young man like Laurence to handle. But that didn’t stop him, it made him push even harder.”

Len rubbed his face. “Then I did the one right thing I never should have. I told his mother the truth. Guilt ate me up inside. Lirae loved and trusted me, so she never once asked how exactly her son got better. She deserved to know the truth. So one night, months into her son’s dalliance, I bared it all. She was hurt, forced me out of the bedroom for a week even. Yet she was still grateful her son was healed, no matter the dubious methods to get him there. She of course had people spy and learn everything there was to learn about her son’s first love. And that led to her discovering the one fact about Lisse that made her an impossible match for Laurence.”

I sighed, already knowing what that fact was.

“She was a Feral.” I said plainly.

“Yes, yes she is.”