CHAPTER 94: FIRST DAY AWAY FROM HOME

When Aramith opened his eyes, he was in a familiar and unfamiliar place.

The smell of wood, the sound of birds and rustling leaves, and the soft glow of the morning sun made him aware of where he was.

He’d had that nightmare again; fighting to save that girl in the alley, then walking off with her on his back as the rain fell.

That dream or vision had appeared so many times that he could never know the number. But once in a while, it threw him in disarray. Luckily, this wasn’t one of those times.

He hadn’t paid attention at first, but now he was aware of the person lying beside him when he tried to move. His heart pounded, and his eyes watered as he looked down on Mozrael, who was curled up on the bed.

What have I done?

The question weighed heavily on his mind and heart. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do anymore, so how was he supposed to assure her that things would be alright?

She stirred in her sleep and gripped his arm.

"I’ll keep him safe," she muttered.

Aramith felt helpless after hearing that. But first, he needed to confirm certain things.

I don’t remember what happened after the carriage left, especially how we got here. But if we’re both here, then I can safely say Lynnor might be back to her normal self.

But still...I wonder if it’s safe here.

He made his way to the door, deciding the best thing to do was to ask Lynnor.

Lynnor sat at the foot of the door, bottle in one hand, the other arm resting on her knee as she watched the two figures approaching her, slightly amused.

"How was your hunting?" She called out. "Did you get me anything?"

The two approached without saying a word. When they reached the door, Lynnor fell to her back. "I’m really tired, you two."

They looked down on her, frowning.

"Why did you leave without saying anything?"

"So you did miss me, my dear Lydan." Lynnor sat up and chuckled, but Lydan wasn’t as amused as she was.

"You could have at least said something before disappearing like that." Jade wanted to appear angry as well, but her worry was evident.

"Just two weeks, and you’re all nagging like old women."

"It’s not funny!" Jade shouted.

Lynnor stood up. "I had to go somewhere."

"Well, you could have said something first to me or her, right?"

"Okay, I wanted to see if someone could kill me, but turns out I’m immortal, hehe."

"You’re not immortal. And enough with the drinking." Lydan snatched the bottle from her before she could take another swig.

"No, I’m serious. I wanted to die, but some idiots saved me." Lynnor’s tone dropped to a whisper. "You’re not going to believe it, but they threw everything away just to try saving me, even though I didn’t need it. Pretty stupid, right? They even got ba—"

"Tch!" Jade couldn’t believe it. She was worried about Lynnor just for her to come out of nowhere, pretending all is normal.

"Forget it, Lynnor. Just keep doing whatever you want."

She stormed past Lynnor.

"Really? What’s wrong with her?" Lynnor shook her head. "It’s a shame children have no manners these days."

Lydan’s expression didn’t crack. "Why are you always like that? She was worried about you."

Lynnor waved him like a fly. "I know, I’m not dumb. Ah, I forgot to say I brought some guests with me."

Lydan glared at her. "I hope it’s not any trouble."

"Nah, don’t worry, all is good. Anyways, how many beasts did you guys kill while I was away?"

Jade couldn’t believe Lynnor. She just disappeared for two weeks and didn’t even care about anything at all. " Didn’t even explain what she went to do. Why is she so—"

Jade froze as she ascended the stairs.

Aramith didn’t expect to meet Jade the moment he went out. This was a problem he wasn’t ready to face. It felt like everything was repeating itself once again, and this time the circumstances were more unpleasant than before.

He wasn’t given enough time to decide what to do before Lydan stepped in.

Lydan didn’t waste another second the moment he saw Aramith. He quickly put himself between Jade and Aramith, glaring at the boy. His gaze was so sharp, it could cut Aramith’s skin.

Jade looked back at Lynnor, feeling betrayed once again. To think Lynnor left for those two weeks just to bring trouble. But Lynnor was back to sitting on the floor, humming to herself as she drank from another bottle.

"What do you want here again? Didn’t we agree that you’ll never show your face here again?" Lydan hissed.

"I—"

"Aramith."

Not now... Aramith turned to see Mozrael standing behind him. She was very disoriented, but she understood what was going on.

"And you even brought that sister of yours, too. What do you want from us?" Lydan demanded.

This was bad... and he wasn’t sure what to do, especially now that he didn’t even know where Lynnor was. He took a step back. He had to shield Mozrael this time.

"Where do you think you’re going? We don’t want your kind here at all."

Hearing those words from Lydan made Aramith stop. Something within him snapped almost immediately.

Our kind? No, we’re not the people he hates. We no longer belong to the Vermillion Kingdom

He glared back at Lydan.

"We have nothing against you, and you have nothing against us," he spoke calmly.

This infuriated Lydan.

"Are you even sure you know who you’re speaking to?"

"I don’t care about your history with the Vermillion Kingdom, but we have nothing to do with that." His mind was very clear now.

"You people disgust me. Just because you think you’re royalty over there doesn’t mean you can—"

"I said we have nothing to do with the people you hate. Step aside."

Lydan pulled out a dagger. "You think you’re someone? I told you I’ll kill you the next time, didn’t I?"

But Aramith didn’t care about Lydan’s threats. The calm that settled over him was unnatural, even to himself. "I said we have nothing against you, so don’t bother us."

"You disgust me!" Lydan threw the dagger.

Everything seemed very clear to Aramith. He saw Lydan’s arm move like a bird stretching its wings. His wrist bent back, and then he threw the dagger. It was fast, but Aramith saw its trajectory very easily. Before it could hit him, he pulled Mozrael behind him, then quickly struck its flat side with the back of his hand, redirecting it to sink into the wall beside them.

Aramith immediately understood that Lydan was weaker than him. He didn’t have control over his attribute, but Gebreth had drilled several endurance and physical training into him and Mozrael.

Lydan couldn’t hide his surprise. How could he redirect the dagger so easily? Wasn’t this the same boy he’d used as a punching bag before?

"The only reason why you were able to harm me then was because I allowed it. And if you’re still looking for people to hate, don’t come to us." The world was cruel. If he decided to allow things to play out like in a theater, he’ll only be a victim.

Lynnor’s humming drifted into his ears. He looked behind Lydan and saw Lynnor sitting outside. Without waiting another second, he held Mozrael’s hand and walked past Lydan and Jade.

Lydan was angry, but he calculated risks very well. He knew Aramith was stronger than he appeared. And worse of all, he didn’t even feel the boy use any power, while he’d imbued some power in the dagger to make it move faster.

"Ignore them. Let’s just prepare and go back for the final hunt," he said to Jade, then climbed the stairs. "We’ll leave tomorrow after we’re done."

Mozrael smiled as she followed Aramith. This was the Aramith she always felt happiest to be around. The boy who wouldn’t allow trouble to get past him. The boy who always protected himself and the people around him. But when they reached the door, she held his hand tighter, stopping him."

"Aramith?" She called.

"What’s wrong?"

"Just...let’s be careful." He didn’t know anything about Lynnor fighting me. I think it’s better if he doesn’t know. And Lynnor brought us here, so maybe she doesn’t plan on being trouble.

"So, how was your reunion with your old friends?" Lynnor asked, getting up to lean against the doorway.

Aramith frowned at the mention of friends, and Mozrael shifted. She was ready to act quickly if Lynnor tried anything.

"What is your end goal in all this?" He asked.

"Me? I think the question should be directed to you, banished boy. You threw everything away. So what is your plan now? I do have some suggestions, but I want to know what you plan on doing now that you don’t have a home."

The question seemed simple, but it cut him deeply. Mozrael felt it too.

"Well? Got any plans?"

"No," he answered curtly.

"Thought so. And that is why you’re an idiot."

Mozrael tensed at that. It felt just like when she attacked her.

Lynnor looked at Mozrael, bemused. Then she laughed.

"Don’t worry, I won’t attack you or anything. I was just testing you back then," she raised her hands in submission.

But Mozrael didn’t take her word just like that. Lynnor showed no signs of attacking, but in the same way, she was very unpredictable.

"Okay, so here’s what I was thinking."

Lynnor’s smirk faded for a breath."You don’t trust me. I get that. Honestly, I don’t blame you."Then her grin returned. "But, hey, what if I said I could make you strong enough to never lose again?"She tilted her head. "I can teach you both how to control your powers. Interested?"