章節 33: Goodbye to Ura
They only stayed two nights in the City of Tevalon after the chaos. Just to rest and recharge. The Church of Alia, specifically Ivory, welcomed their stay, providing them with food and care. Rey and Seven never left their room too much. Rey, because he was busy taking care of Leon. And Seven, because he was scared of what would await him outside.
Other than that, Ivory was happy to inform Rey of other beautiful cities run by other nobles, of a peaceful forest where the hero Tevalon used to reside, and of ancient ruins that haven't been fully discovered. But much to Rey's dismay, there was no time to explore.
He wasn't happy about it, but he understood. The City of Tevalon has to rebuild itself. With the three kings gone, someone has to rule Ura. There are nobles wanting to gain control and political powers coming into play. There was unrest among the people and many protests and riots in the streets. There were slaves, who have all been set free, taking action for revenge. Ura was in a state of unrest; who knows where they'll go from here.
Rey wasn't too concerned. He doesn't understand these politics and rules, so he'll just let the people who know them do what they do best. He has different priorities, like getting the hell out of here.
He can't stay in Ura anymore.
He is, after all, the person who destroyed it. With him here, people will want to use him left and right. Who will he support? Who will he fight against? Will he be Ura's next reign? Rey can't deal with that, not anymore. He left it all in Aruvar. This must be what Seven meant when his fellow half-demons killed themselves.
They would rather die than be used by anyone.
Rey sighed.
"Let's leave after this," Rey said as they were currently eating breakfast.
"Really?!" Seven beamed, relieved, 'Finally, I can go home,'
Seven was worried about how he was going to get back home. Last time he remembered, Rey wasn't planning to take him home, Seven was going to have to hire some adventurers. And he knew for sure that'd end badly, especially since he was viewed as part of Rey's party. But now Seven was ecstatic. It felt like forever since he'd been home. He couldn't wait to finally be where everything made sense again.
That morning, they left after bidding goodbye to Ivory.
They walked miles back from where they came from.
They fought monsters in the wild as well as assassins who were after Rey's head.
They tried helping other people, but were met with disdain instead.
They had to cover themselves up again and go into hiding.
They ate and slept in inns and on the road.
They searched for things that Leon might like.
And after days and weeks of traveling like this, they finally made it to the little city where Seven resides.
They decided to stop by the Tomato Cheese Bread stall for a quick snack.
"What are you going to do after this?" Seven asked as they ate on a bench.
"Travel to the other side of the forest," Rey replied as he fed Leon bits and pieces. He still doesn't think this Tomato Cheese Bread is good for him.
"Oh," Seven continued eating, staring off into space, 'So, this is it then, huh?'
His spontaneous, life-threatening experience was finally ending. He should be happy. He's the one who wanted to go home. He's the one who wanted to be where everything made sense. So, why is he feeling like this now? He couldn't have grown close to Rey and Leon already, could he? Their lives are much too dramatic. Much too dangerous for someone like him.
He glanced at Rey.
Rey was mostly back to normal. Mean on the outside, nice within. Kind of. Seven liked to think so.
The only difference Seven noticed was that Rey was more clingy than usual.
Seven stared at Rey's hand, 'He used to always hold Leon's wrist. Now, he's actually holding his hand,'
Seven's eyes followed the hand that went to stroke Leon's cheek. Rey used to only console Leon when he cried. Now, he caresses his hair and face much too often.
Peck.
Sometimes those pats on the head come in the form of kisses on the forehead instead.
Seven's mind suddenly wandered to that one unfortunate morning.
The casual sleeping side to side has turned to full-on cuddling, limbs tangled in one another.
Seven sighed.
Even their germs have suddenly become one. Rey no longer uses a different spoon or fork to feed Leon.
'Maybe it is better if they leave,' Seven eyed Rey skeptically, 'So, I don't have to witness anything else,'
Seven handed Rey a napkin, not wanting to see him lick the same finger he stuffed in Leon's mouth just seconds ago. Rey thankfully used it and wiped his hands.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye then," Seven sighed and stood up, "I hope you the best on your journey,"
This was for the best.
There was no way Seven could live a normal life if he traveled with Rey and Leon.
He had already risked his life for them.
He even cried tears for them!
He's sure there would be more to come if he followed them, and he definitely didn't want that!
Besides, he's got his own life too.
'Well, I guess I can finally rest,'
Just as Seven was about to walk away, Rey stopped him.
"Where are you going?" Rey asked.
Seven tilted his head in confusion. He eyed his surroundings just to make sure that this was his little town he called home. And once he confirmed that it was, he replied, "Uh, home? I'm going home,"
"No, you're not,"
'What do you mean "'No you're not?!"' Seven tilted his head in confusion, ". . . But isn't that why we're here? You were sending me back home?"
"When did I say I was taking you home?" Rey deadpanned.
". . . When we left Tevalon?"
"You heard wrong then,"
"Then . . . why're we here?"
"This place just happens to be on the way to our next location,"
Seven was dumbfounded, bewildered, mystified. Whatever other word that existed. He couldn't believe his ears. He couldn't even react properly, just thinking that he misheard Rey.
". . . I wish you the best," Seven said, pretending he heard Rey wrong, "If you're ever around, feel free to visit me,"
Seven was about to make his quick getaway when he was suddenly pulled back by his collar with one of Rey's smoky tendrils.
"Rey please! Let me go free!" Seven cried as he was helplessly dragged back to the bench, "Why're you doing this to me?! I can't go with you! I'll die! The other side of the forest isn't meant for me!!!"
"You shouldn't stay here too, it's not good for you," Rey replied nonchalantly as he continued feeding Leon.
"But at least I have a higher chance of survival! Don't you know that humans are not welcome on the other side?! You're bringing me to my death!!"
"But you're not human,"
. . .
"You're not human," Rey stated again.
. . .
Upon hearing the silence, Rey realized that Seven was not responding as he usually does and decided to spare him a glance. He was met with Seven's dumbstruck expression, frozen in place.
Rey opened his mouth to speak again, "You're not human-"
"-I'm human!" Seven cried, bursting out of his dumbstruck state.
Rey shrugged and turned away, "We're going to leave first thing tomorrow, let's rest at your place for now,"
Seven cried even more tears, "I said I'm human!"
Rey stood up and prepared himself and Leon to leave, "Lead the way, Seven,"
"I said I'm human! I'm really human!"
Seven wailed as he groveled at Rey's feet like a beggar asking for forgiveness. Rey stared at Seven's sorry state. Then he sighed and sat back down on the bench. Seven's eyes glistened with hope, thinking that Rey was really going to believe him.
"You have keener eyes than most. Why do you think I wanted you to help Leon?" Rey said.
Seven gawked, "That could be anyone!"
"You went to save Leon that day," Rey continued, "Knowing you, there's no way you could have survived,"
Seven felt a stab to his mentality, "I . . . that was . . . secret passages,"
"I ran all across Tevalon, I'm sure I would have noticed you one way or another. Yet, I never did,"
"You don't know Tevalon like I do,"
"Seven," Rey said in a low voice, "Do you think I'm dumb?"
Seven shivered and decided to give up. He sighed and sat crisscrossed on the ground, "What gave it away?"
"The Church of Alia was located the furthest away from the Sapphirous Palace, yet you made it there in one piece. Secret passages or not, there is no way you could have survived. You can't be that lucky. You would have run into danger at least once or twice, and you're weak. You would have just died,"
Seven felt another painful stab, 'please stop insulting me!'
Rey peered into Seven's eyes, "What are you?"
Rey has had doubts ever since they left Tevalon. Back when he found out that Leon was gone from the Church of Alia and Seven left to find him, he knew Seven wouldn't make it out alive. There was no way. Seven was far too weak.
But somehow, Seven made it to Leon before he did (It left a sour feeling inside Rey to this day).
Seven couldn't have been that lucky. Even if he knew all the secret roads and passageways, there was no way he could have been that lucky. Call him bitter or whatever, but he just knew that Seven wasn't a normal human being. He must be something else. Especially since he was trying so hard to be normal.
"Tell me," Rey demanded, "What are you?"
Seven sighed again, 'I guess I can't hide it forever,'
"Half-dryad, I guess," Seven answered solemnly, "My mother was a dryad and my father was a human,"
Rey's eyebrows raised in interest, "Born between human and earth. Uncommon, but not unusual to happen. It's my first time meeting one, though,"
For the first time, Seven saw Rey's eyes twinkle just a little bit. And he could tell, he could tell that Rey wanted to hear more.
"It's a boring story," Seven mumbled.
Seven may have said that he was the seventh son of the seventh generation in his family, but that was all just a lie. It was just something he made up on the fly. Something that sounded good in his ears.
He was actually an only child.
Past:
Seven was born between a dryad and a human. His mother, the dryad, lived in one of Ura's many forests, while his father was just a common man going on a hunt. Just like in a fairytale, the hunter and the dryad met, fell in love, created a family, and lived peacefully in the forest away from everyone's eyes.
Except there was no happy ending.
Seven didn't always look like a normal human being. His hair used to be more red than brown, and his eyes were brighter with colors of yellow and gold. He had patches of bark growing on his skin, branches that grew on his head like horns, and beautiful leaves that decorated those branches.
If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't transform into things of nature or that animals didn't like him as much, he could have passed as a full-blooded dryad. Unfortunately, Seven was instead stuck in the middle somewhere. He couldn't transform into a tree to save his life, and he didn't look human enough to pass as a human. It left both his parents afraid of what could happen to him if they were ever caught.
Growing up in a forest with a strict lifestyle made Seven a pretty naughty child. Don't be curious; don't travel past this tree; don't talk too loudly; be home before sundown; always cover your tracks; etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Just a huge list of things that Seven was expected to follow every single day. A list that Seven wished he never broke.
When Seven was ten years old, he was curious about what was on the other side. He traveled past that tree. He saw people who didn't look like him. He saw them do things he wished he could forget. He ran back home but forgot to cover his tracks. He caused the deaths of his parents and the loss of his home.
Seven was eventually sold to some wealthy business man in the City of Tevalon. His time there was mostly a blur, but he did remember one thing.
Pain.
The branches he had for horns.
They were chopped off and shaved down to the very roots. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. A physical part of him that was severed off forever.
The patches of bark that grew on his body.
They were ripped from his skin, like picking petals off a flower.
He watched as parts of himself were sold right before his very eyes, and soon he had nothing left to call his own.
And so he was thrown away, forgotten, and left in a cell to rot.
He didn't know how long he was locked in that cell for, but somehow he just barely survived. A group of people came and freed the slaves in that part of the tunnel. His cell just happened to be one of them. The person who saved him was a young Beastman. Finn was his name. Seven would never forget.
Finn was part of the resistance against the kings. He wasn't someone who held an important figure, nor was he someone well-known. He was just a foot soldier who volunteered to help. Being Seven's savior, Seven clung to him like his life depended on it. So Finn ended up taking Seven under his wing. Like this, Seven helped Finn with his job and learned of all the secret passageways and tunnels that existed in the City of Tevalon. He obeyed every command. He was never curious. He never asked why. He did what he was supposed to.
It wasn't until Seven turned thirteen that his abilities started appearing. He suddenly started looking more like a Beastman. Finn joked and said it was because they spent too much time together, but the moment Seven grew ears and a tail, that joke stopped immediately.
"Can you turn back?" Finn asked.
". . . I don't know how," Seven muttered.
"Hide it," Finn said, "Never show it to anyone, not even the resistance,"
From that day on, Seven trained himself day and night, but he failed to turn back. He didn't know how to. Sometimes his form would randomly change to other human-like beings, and sometimes he would be stuck in one form for weeks. In all, he just couldn't control his ability. He ended up hiding in cloaks every single day and Finn tried his best to cover for him. They lived like that for two years.
"I'm leaving the resistance," Finn suddenly said one day, "We're going to the other side of the forest,"
"We?" Seven asked.
Finn laughed, "Obviously, who do you think I'm talking about? And maybe one day we'll come back. Once everything is better or when things have changed, we'll visit Ura again. We'll see the City of Tevalon again,"
They never made it to the other side of the forest.
The little city that Seven currently resides in is the same city where Finn's life ended.
Finn died protecting Seven.
All because Seven just had to transform in the middle of the town.
"Live," were Finn's last words as he was butchered in the square, "Keep living,"
Ever since that day, Seven has had complete control over his abilities. He couldn't transform into parts of nature, but he could transform into human-like beings. He forged himself into the most basic-looking human he could think of, and like that, he was never found.
Seven also found himself stuck in this little town. He couldn't find it in himself to leave. He couldn't, because Finn was supposed to take him to the other side of the forest. They were supposed to go together. How can Seven go alone when Finn is stuck here?
And so, Seven lived as a normal human being. He found work, he made money, and he even bought a small house. He blended in, making sure to never stand out. He minded his own business. He made a few friends. He did everything possible in order to be seen as normal. And he lived quietly like this for seven years.
Present:
"Seven years I lived as a human and no one found out," Seven chuckled solemnly, "I don't even think I'm ready to leave yet,"
"Say your goodbyes," Rey stated, "We're leaving tomorrow,"
Seven gasped, "Didn't you hear me?! I said I'm not ready yet!"
"You think Finn could rest peacefully if you're still here? I think not, besides, you owe me,"
"I owe you?!"
"Who do you think paid for your expenses and the safety of your life? You don't think they were for free, right? I even paid you money, but you never used it,"
Seven was dumbstruck, "W-what?! They aren't inclusive?!"
"Of course not," Rey said, standing with Leon in tow, "We're leaving first thing tomorrow. Now, lead us to your house, we're resting there today,"
Seven gawked, 'Damn you, Rey!' Then he gave a small smile and gazed at the sky, 'I guess this is finally goodbye. Finn, I'm going first,"
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