A few days since Alicia and the boy spoke, or rather, since she spoke to the boy. The boy, as per usual, quietly moved to the other side of the carriage right after the two of them finished eating whatever the slave traders had gave them.

It was eerily quiet. She had never noticed it before but no noise from the outside could be heard, not the sound of the wheels treading the ground nor the chatter of the people moving them. It was as if only the carriage existed in the world and everything else beyond its wall were no longer real.

Thinking back, she could remember that everyday had been this quiet. But, despite the overwhelming silence, Alicia never thought it was suffocating.

Whenever Alicia felt distressed at the thought of her family, her situation, or her future, the boy would always appear beside her and light pat her back. She had never thought such a simple action could move her so much.

She felt the boy was a serene and comforting existence that nothing could trouble and that caused her to be just as tranquil.

Thus, Alicia walked over towards the opposite side of carriage where the boy sat, putting him in her arms, unwilling to ever let go. Her vision naturally went towards the boy’s face, which displayed a questioning gazing back at her, as if asking, her what was she doing.

“My father and mother loved me… as did the rest of my family” Alicia insisted. “They bought me everything I wanted, let me do anything I wanted … they really loved me … so how did I end up here?”

She was seeking for an answer. The boy had never spoke, but, for some indescribable reason, she thought-

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“You can talk, right? This silence is because of you, is it not? If you can negate out sound this perfectly, then certainly, you can create a sound can’t you? If that’s the case … then ... can you give me an answer?”

“Why ... do you … want … an answer … from me?” A voice resonated in response.

It was awkward. The voice carried no distinctive features which belonged to either genders. It sounded as if someone who had no longer spoken finally made their voice heard again. However, the voice carried a very distinct lonesome tone.

Although Alicia did not expect an answer, she was neither dazed nor shocked. “Because I want to know … no … that's not right … I just to hear it from you” She responded naturally. Despite being unable to determine which direction the voice appeared from, without a doubt in her mind, she knew its origins must have been the boy in her arms.

“What if ... I don’t want to give you an answer?”

“Then don’t. If you really do not want to tell me, then don’t. But, even if you never tell me … I will still want one from you”

“Then … don’t expect a response from me”

♦

Owen looked over to Elaine in confusion. Ever since the boy who was supposed to be their son disappeared, the two of them had been flying all over their territories, without rest, in order their search for him. However, Elaine had thwarted his attempts to contact their friends in order to add them to the search party.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t involve them in our search? There is only so much we can do on our own” Owen asked his wife.

“It is better this way” Elaine replied. “The less who know about him, the better. There is no need to worry, it is impossible for him to be harmed. As long as our people keep us updated, we will find him.”

Although her words appeared calming, Owen could feel the restlessness and impatience radiating from his wife. He complained to himself internally before letting his mind wander, wondering why it was his wife who had inherited such an extraordinary child.