The man who had applied for a week’s leave sauntered back into the gates at daybreak a mere day of respite.

No rest for both the wicked and righteous, it seems.

In his right pocket was a suspicious bulge. Kael had already rehearsed his answer if someone were to ask about it.

“It’s my coin pouch. Being a Swordmaster pays well, doesn’t it?” He would say with a light, charismatic smile.

Kael replayed the lines in his lines and came to a deadpan retaliation- how could he say casual words with a charismatic smile with a deceased…lost…whatever colleague? People would surely be at his necks for it.

In his mind flashed the resentful gaze of Riven.

‘That boy already has enough reason to believe I’m behind his disappearance’ he sighed.

He had been accustomed to losing lives in battles, both against humans and Demons. When blades were drawn, lives were always lost- Kael had long come to terms with that. Thalorin was not the only person who died in the Clan, yet all the ruckus was solely for him.

Surely there were people grieving over their lost friends and comrades, yet all everyone cared for was the stupid Swordmaster.

The memorial was supposed to be held after the deaths were tallied and bodies found- there was no fire, so surely all of them would be present. Yet it had been two days and there were still rotting corpses out in the wild as all everyone cared for was finding the damn Spellmaster. It irked Kael off to no end.

Especially since he knew that if Thalorin himself saw all of this, he would spit on his Clansmen’s faces and holler at them. The man sacrifices his life for his clansmen only to see them neglecting the others for him. Such blasphemy!

And worst of all…everyone was in denial about his death and how he died. Who’s to say he was not colluding with the Demons-

Kael shook his head slightly. He did not want to grow suspicious of a fallen comrade. Let him rest in peace as a hero, rather than live on as a traitor.

He looked up. It was day, but the silhouette of the moon was still present. It was a deformed, circular shape. Almost a full moon but not quite.

That meant the full moon was today. And the Lunae.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The first full moon after one’s passing is the Lunae. Full moons were when spiritual activity were the highest, and the souls of the departed would say goodbye to the mortal world one last time before they head into the afterlife judgment. Be it the Spirit Realm or Underworld that they end up in, all souls had the right to visit those they left behind at least once more.

Lord Felt was the Spiritmaster- he could easily summon Thalorin’s souls along with the other deceased and let them say their farewells face-to-face. It was also used as confirmation for whether or not someone was truly dead so that the Clansmen could find them before they actually died.

But even if Thalorin had survived that night, he would have starved or thirst to death by now unless he had reached the town- but if he had the informant would have let them know. He was either dead, or kidnapped and tortured. Kael hoped it was the former.

The elderly and injured of the village did all sorts of odd jobs while the warriors of the clan shuffled left and right cradling bulky items. The administrators and non-combatants all dabbled in matters of their expertise or aided the villagers in their tasks. It was truly a sight to behold.

They were all outcasts who formed a family, after all. The sight lifted the corners of Kael’s mouth ever so slightly. However, hearing some unfortunate words did not let the smile last.

“Mister Kael! You’re back? Never mind…Lord Felt needs help with setting up the formation!” A passing messenger yelled as she hustled. It was Pela, it seemed. Pela studied healing arts and was a rising medic of the clan- which had no relation to the Lunar preparations. Therefore, she volunteered for the arduous task as the messenger and ran around the entire expanse of the mountain’s summit.

Kael took long strides to the central square, sighing. The bulge in his pocket had begun squirming against him relentlessly, making him extremely uncomfortable. He almost regretted even bringing it back once more.

He walked to the central square. It was a wide, barren field that had been paved. It was mostly used for…anything, actually. At the moment, there was a gaping formation drawn in chalk at the Center. The Lord was bent squatting down with the chalk in his hands. He drew lines on the ground, but at the slightest error, he used the edge of his palm to wipe it, with the aid of his sweat.

Kael saw him erase a line three times by the time he had walked towards him. He peeked down. The Lord’s back was drenched in sweat, so much that his shirt now clung to his skin. He grunted in frustration and wiped the line once more.

Kael squinted and tilted his head. He tried, he really did, but he could not see what went wrong with the chalk.

Perhaps that was why I’m not drawing the formation, he realised.

The Lord sensed his presence yet did not speak in fear of distraction. Having lost hope over drawing the formation, he decided to take a break and engage in other matters. “Kael.” The Lord said. “I thought you were taking a week’s leave? You’re back soon.”

“I saw the almost full moon yesterday night, it was then I realised the Lunae was today.” The statement was a half-truth. He had gazed upon the moon and was already planning on heading back way before the situation with the snake occurred.

As if sensing him thinking about it, the snake squirmed again. Kael sincerely wished he had just beheaded it that night.

The Lord stood up and dusted chalk off of his robe. His greying hair shone in the light of the Everflame. He gave a soft smile. “Well, since you’re here, you might as well help.” He then pointed a finger at the chalk in his hands. “I know that you just came from the town but…could you go there and get more chalk?” He smiled sheepishly.

“Yes, my lord.” Were the words that left the Swordmaster’s lips but he meant none of them.

What did he really mean? Well, the plethora of relentless curses was really too much to decipher. Even at the foot of the mountain did the string of curses continue.

Kael banged his head against the walls of his mind. It seems the Fates were all going against his agenda.

The snake’s as well it seemed, as it had continued its squirming, fighting desperately against suffocation. It pitifully breathed the little air that entered the pouch.

It was unsure of its survival, but did it even want to live through such a fate at this point?

And so the two sauntered to the town and back, and the next time Kael reached the summit, the sun had already set and the sky darkened.

It was going to be one hell of a night.