Capítulo 4: Strangers

Old Mar was ravaged by worry these past few moons. The ashes had settled over the horizon, where that dreadful bolt, so red it seemed to bleed, struck the earth, sending waves through the world that still haunted his dreams. Some nights, he didn't sleep, still dreaming of that day.

"Has the Silver Devil returned?" He laughed, reminiscent of an old story his father and his Father's Father had once spoken of. "I'm getting old." He lamented, having watched the sun slowly rise into the skies, with a glare so intense the cool winds came as a relief.

Old Mar had been in his thirteenth decade and wasn't getting younger, or so his daughter kept reminding him. With a toothless grin over his wrinkled face that told more stories than what most could understand, he staggered to his feet with the help of his cane.

"Those arcanists ought to be here by noon to investigate." He said, glancing towards the direction where that terrifying bolt struck the earth. He turned, preparing to leave, when a familiar shout echoed.

"OLD MAR!!!!"

When he heard the voice, his age-drooping eyes went wide. "A-A-Aurelia?" He turned, catching sight of the filthy little thing that stood. So filthy she was he barely recognized her. "Dear child…" He painfully cried. " We heard you ran away."

"Why would Aurelia run?" The little girl asked, tilting her head. "Papa said to wait, so Aurelia waited."

The Old Man felt his bones grow weak. "Y–Y–You…" He forced an ugly smile, feeling his heartbreak at the little girl's condition. 'She looked so thin… so so thin.' he thought and slid his weary gaze to the young child beside her. His back all but stiffened. He knew a lordling when he met one.

From the way he stood to that air of authority that swelled around him, Old Mar felt an invisible pressure weighing down on his weak heart.

"M'lord," He bowed.

Zariel nodded. "Are you the mayor of this village?" he asked, glancing around at the various cottages. "If so, I've got a few questions I'd like answered."

"Eh? You're a Lord?" Aurelia asked, tilting her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Technically, a Young Master," Zariel answered and gestured for her to be silent. He focused his silvery gaze on Old Mar and said, "I'd like to know what planet I'm on."

"What planet?"Old Mar grumbled. "I'm sorry, m'lord, I don't quite understand."

That had not been the answer Zariel was looking for. He frowned. "Then can you explain the states of how one absorbs the Arcana of this Realm?"

"Yes, m'lord, right away." Old Mar hastily said, quick to hear the impatience in his voice. He leaned onto his cane even harder, finding it hard to stand. "To absorb the true source, one requires the Spirit to seize it. By pushing out our Spirit into the great Void, we pull the Acana into our pores to be cycled and refined. The method of refinement is different for everyone. Some carry specific formulas, and others have bloodline refinement techniques; even we of the Four Rivers Village have a specific method. When the Arcana is refined, it is pushed into the heart to be—"

"The Heart? Not the Dantian?" Zariel questioned. The dantian was a small, ethereal organ used to hold Qi alongside a plethora of other energies throughout the Twelve Planes.

Old Mar staggered back to his chair, heavy in his breath. "You speak in tongues, m'lord." He took in a long breath. "Might I ask what a Dantian is?"

"It'll do you no good. Seeing it's useless now," Zariel mused, shaking his head, and thought, 'If I don't need to use my Dantian… perhaps I might be able to create my own Qi that isn't of Heaven and Earth.' He nearly smiled. " Is it possible to see your version of Cultivation?"

"It is not a secret," said Old Mar welcomingly, drawing in a long breath. He stood back up and asked that Zariel come in. When he saw the boy didn't move, Old Mar went inside, returning with a sweaty brow and a parchment he offered to the young boy.

Zariel looked it over, frowning, nodding, and finally returned it to the old man. "Then I thank you for your aid." He said before taking his leave.

"What about Aurelia?" Old Mar spoke out as he neared the streets, though he got no reply.

Had Old Mar truly been worried, he'd have offered her a place to stay. But he hadn't. He was old, nearing the end of his lifespan. After he was gone, Aurelia would be right back where she was, Zariel believed.

"That was rude," The young girl said once they were out of sight.

"Was I? I couldn't tell." In truth, he didn't quite care. Old Mar had served his usefulness. "Next time, you should be the one to speak. You were as quiet as a mouse."

"Aurelia isn't a mouse. She's a lion."

"Lioness." Zariel corrected with a half smile. "It's the female version of a lion, if you didn't know."

She didn't. "Yeah! That. Aurelia Morningstar is a Lionness!" she claimed proudly, puffing out her chest. "So what's next, big brother."

"What's next is…" He paused, turning towards the cloaked men that bore the crest of a golden stag engraved on their chest. Draped in red and white robes, they entered the village with hard looks over their eyes, heading towards the mayor's office. "What's next is meeting your family."

"Eh?" Aurelia, who had been staring at the strangers, turned to Zariel. "W-W-W-Why? No… I can't… not like this." She looked down at her mud-stained hands, never before feeling such a great sense of shame burning at her cheeks. "F-F-Father won't even recognize me. Can't you just teach me… Can't you teach me how to hunt and do magic? Like that Feather Foot thing? You said it was Transfiguration Magic, right? "

The strangers that bore the crest of the Golden Stag that had been passing by paused, turning to the children with amazement.

Zariel gave them a long stare before walking away before trouble could be had. 'Maybe they'd chalk up our talk as merely children's folly.' he mused to himself as Aurelia nagged at him.

By the time they were out of the village, it had not been noon, but on more than one occasion, he had heard Aurelia's stomach growl with hunger. Annoyed, Zariel wondered if this was what his mother felt when she had to forage for food for them when the cooks and servants refused to feed them.

Last night, she had nearly eaten all of the deer, gnawing through bones as though she were a lioness or cub. Zariel had barely managed a thin cut, having been so disgusted by the food that lacked something as basic as salt.

"Remember Zariel," He recalled his elder brother's words. "It's alright to be a bad bitch. Live it up. If you want to be Boujee, be Boujee. I'm here for it!"

"Let's go hunting… I got to find some herbs anyway." He remarked, putting the idea of meeting Aurelia's parents on hold. Maybe he'd try when those strange men left the village.

They strutted off into the forest, and this time, Zariel had Aurelia do the tracking. She had been a little green at first, but hunting had seemed to be something of an innate talent to the girl. In less than an hour, she had found her next meal: A small black bear that was gouging on a small open field of blueberries.

"... I quite like this location." He marveled, eying his surroundings as he approached the bear. And much like the deer, it didn't so much sense or feel death's icy grip. The bear died to a vicious sword thrust that entered through the head, exploding out the back in a great red smear of blood.

Aurelia watched, still not understanding how or why the bear never once moved. It was as if he didn't even seem to exist, yet he was there. She could see him.

Trying to rack her head around it, she watched on curiously as the boy bled before skinning it, making sure to preserve the fur. She watched on, curious at the practice precision in which he moved.

"Who taught you how to hunt?" She asked him.

"Who taught me?" He almost smiled. "I'm self-taught. In the castle…" He stopped looking at her through narrowed eyes. "Come here."

Waddling over, Zariel handed her his sword and began instilling in her the basics of swordsmanship. Starting with the feel. Cutting through flesh had a unique feeling to it, especially when the flesh was still warm.

He showed her how to hold a blade, how to cut, and where to cut before he took back his blade. When they were done, the bear had been nothing more than chunks of meat with a good amount of fat attached.

"We're going to build a cottage to live here." He said, looking around at the somewhat open field of grass lined with a dense patch of blueberry trees. He nodded. They were not too far from the stream, a few minutes at the most, and not too far from the village in case they needed to trade with anyone.

"Here?" Aurelia looked around with a foolish grin.

"And before we eat… go take a damn shower! I'll not smell you a day longer!"

***

"So you don't know his name?" Livius Ducmar said, frowning.

Old Mar gave a long-winded reply from on top of his rocking chair. "No… It's my first time meeting him, Initiate Livius."

"And you sure he is a nobleman?"

"As sure you were once a commoner like me." Old Mar wheezed, coughing into his palm. He stared at Livius, eyeing his callus palms, his windburnt face, and his all-around gaunt complexion. "That boy… is no doubt a nobleman."

"And why would he be here?" Livius asked, frowning. "Is he lost?"

"If he sure he didn't look it," Egidius Voscar admitted beside the door. "But we're not here to inspect some kid. The lightning that fell, what can you tell us?"

'A nobleman.' Thought Old Mar, measuring the milky pale skin of the young man who barely seemed to be in his second decade. "When it struck, be it dog or cat, sheep or mare, all of them began to squeal, breaking out of their stables to flee. The ground shook for nearly three days as if it remembered the horrid power that fell upon the land. And the water tasted like metal… like… ash and… soot, for nearly seven days."

"Like sulfur?" Egidius asked.

"Why yes. It tasted like sulfur!" Old Mar said. "What does it mean?"

"Hells if I know," Egidius said. "But we'll inform the Master of this at once. Come along, Initiate."

comentario 2 comentario

Votar

ENVIAR REGALO

Load failed, please RETRY