CHAPTER 60: RACE AND IDENTITY

For the last months all he had to keep him accompanied, was a ravenous pack of hounds waiting to gulp him whole; a freakishly intelligent owl family staring into his soul with everyone of their stares; towering trees, crouching shrubs and its sneaky silent inhabitant; and the impersonal inattributive meaningless Void.

In the process he had forgotten that he looked a bit different from what a normal human looked like in none but one aspect, and for just that his mother did not allow him to appear before any other person in the village.

Even if she were to be exaggerating, smoke doesn’t start without fire.

He had tried to ask her many times and every time she pondered deeply and somberly for a very long time only to decide not to tell him, and only reiterated the advice to not go to the village.

His overgrown messy hair had made it unnoticeable to see his elongated ears till now, but it looked like it had caught up to him now.

As Cora noticed the ears and voiced her bewilderment, her expression turned tense, little by little, the previous amicable atmosphere dissipating like mist in sunlight.

Focused entirely on his ears she took a step closer to him, totally forgetting the concept of propriety and etiquette ingrained into her through the years as she touched his ears through his hairs.

"Yeah it’s definitely real."

"Miss Cora?"

"Huh? Oh.. so sorry, I didn’t mean to- I mean not like this- uhh I’m sorry about that."

She realised what she was doing, about the action but also without even asking Noctis, and immediately stepped back trying to find some words to justify her impudence.

"It’s alright. I guess you were surprised. But I understand, I was just as surprised to find out over the years my ears are a bit funny. I don’t know much about it either."

Noctis said with his best impression of child-like ignorance he could manage.

"Only you? Are your parents not like this?"

Cora frowned a little bit as she asked, rather seriously for her usual attitude.

"No. Not anyone from my village either. I always thought it was just something minor, which is why I didn’t give it much thought. Is something wrong Miss Cora?"

"Hmm... can I ask you something? It’s fine if you don’t want to answer after hearing the question."

"Sure."

"Then... are you sure you aren’t adopted?"

Noctis showed a surprised expression on his face, although he expected this question from the start.

"Umm... I don’t know about that. Is something wrong with me?"

He asked, trying to look worried as his voice fell softly.

"No, no, no it’s just... No it shouldn’t be like that in the first place. Regina would have told me the moment we first met had that been the case."

"What is it that you’re talking about, Miss Cora?"

Noctis asked as he took a step closer with his voice panicking like he had heard ghosts lurking behind those words.

The tall boy with puppy eyes standing close to the serious girl, from an angle they looked like they were in a drama.

Cora took his hands to calm him down too, perfectly playing the part, as she seriously said,

"No it was just me making things on my own. I’m sorry to have worried you. Please calm down."

’Oh just tell me already, you dramatic brat!’

Noctis got annoyed at the heroic face on the otherwise silly girl, forgetting his own reaction a moment ago, truly a pot telling a kettle.

It was just that he was dying to know just what it was that deserved such a reaction in a world filled with magical wonders.

"Yes alright Miss Cora. But what were you thinking about?"

"Oh it’s nothing just.. you know... there are many kinds of people in this wide world, you must understand.

You have never left these beyond this island and its trees, and so the faces you know are all much alike, whose skin are akin to the summer wheat, eyes the colour of the river, hair from straw-gold to the shade of the plough’s soil.

But in the cities, where ships from far shores anchor and caravans spill into the markets, a man may behold folk whose likeness is as strange to us as a crow to a dove. But they are all human just like us.

Do you trust me?"

As the little learned noble explained the concept of race to the ’village boy’ with an expression as if she was describing dragons and griffins, Noctis couldn’t even keep up the act.

He replied, impassive and monotonous,

"Fascinating."

The little noble lass now came a little closer to him as she started with an expression a little too complex for comfort to see on her childish face.

A different kind of discomfort than the dead childish faces he was used to, but unpleasant regardless.

She said,

"If men may differ so greatly among themselves, then you will believe me when I tell you there are folk who are not men at all, though they walk upon two legs and speak with tongues we can learn.

Everyone can see they’re not... well, us. Like they are different in kinds humans never do. It’s not wrong I say. They breathe the same as us and most feel like us afterall.

It’s just that people are somewhat... prejudiced against them, if you understand what I mean.

And you.. you just reminded me of one. But I’m wrong. It’s probably just a little mutation that made your ears like that.

I got spooked by my own imagination, please don’t take it to heart."

"But what if I am?"

This time Noctis didn’t beat around the bush and asked, a little displeased with himself at his cruelty to a little kid, but he was a little desperate to know this.

"Huh? Uh.. well you’re not.. No I mean, it doesn’t matter even if you are, just it isn’t likely. After all Regina as an awakened would have known the first moment when we met."

The girl replied a little bewildered, now that Noctis looked so serious.

"Say I was, Cora. What if?"

Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed upon the calm ocean eyes.