Elara's funeral will be in two weeks...
Elara's funeral will be in two weeks...
Elara's funeral will be in two weeks.
The message rang uncontrollably in Darian Vaughan's grieving head, twisting and constricting his brain and thoughts. Reaching his shaking hand, he pushed open the large glass twin doors and was met with a crowd of visitors. From the corner of his eye, he noticed multiple military personnel trying to block the doors.
"Looks like the crowd isn't going to stop anytime soon." An older lady remarked as she walked past Darian, whose shoulders twitched at the sound of her voice.
"Y-Yeah…" Darian managed, and the lady, who had soft grey hair and big blue eyes, shifted her gaze toward the silent Emory. Using her hand to cover her agape mouth, she smiled, "Oh my. What an adorable baby."
Emory's crimson eyes surveyed the woman as she bent down to rub his cheek. Looking at Darian, the lady began, "Are you also looking to leave?" Darian nodded his head.
"I see. Well, the exit is full, so we can leave through other methods." Darian's interest was piqued; his eyes widened as he reciprocated. "Other methods?"
The lady smiled, "Yes, my dear." She spread her arms out, her light blue cardigan stretching alongside her movements. "Hold very still," she told Darian.
A faint, sky-blue aura began circulating the old lady; her body started to glow a blue hue. "E-Excuse me.." Darian's eyes widened as his mouth twitched. The lady replied calmly "I said hold still."
The ground beneath them liquidized as if it became a pool of water. In a second, Darian, Emory, and the old lady fell to the ground and reappeared a block away from the hospital. Not being able to process what just happened, Darian's mouth involuntarily dropped.
The woman relaxed her body and exhaled, "Maybe these powers aren't a curse." Her eyes softened as her tone became delicate. She looked over at Darian and motioned him to bend down so they could be face-to-face.
Doing just that, Darian felt a hand faintly rub his cheek; he looked into the woman's eyes. Smiling, she spoke in a voice that reminded him of Elara, "Are you okay, my child?" Uncontrollable tears began falling from Darian's eyes and slid down his cheek.
His face was turning red, and his mouth quivered, "...No." He choked out. The woman's expression became more relaxed as she kissed him on the side of his face. "The world hasn't been nice to you, has it?" Darian shook his head, tears flung from both sides. She had noticed that he had lost someone dear to him.
"It's okay. It's okay to be sad." She ran her hand softly through his hair. "Just remember to be grateful. You have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy." Darian nodded.
"You will be a great father, little one." That was the last thing she said to him before descending back into the ground.
Darian spent the next couple of minutes quietly sobbing in the corner of the street.
. . .
After leaving the hospital, Darian and his newborn companion embarked on their journey back home. The bumpy road jostled Darian's cheap stroller, tipping it now and then.
Darian would often hallucinate that Elara was right beside him and start talking with her. It wasn't until he had received strange looks from passersby that he realized she wasn't there.
The further they traveled, the clearer the poverty became. In Trila, poverty and crime were not uncommon attributes. Focusing his attention left, he was met with a couple of children begging on the streets. They were ragged and wore torn tunics.
Reaching into his pocket, Darian pulled out a five-dinar bill and walked towards the children. The kid's eyes lit up as they stumbled toward him. "S-Sorry, this is all I have." They didn't care and accepted the money with immense gratitude.
It put a smile on Darian's face to see those children elated. He would often go on walks with Elara, and whenever they spotted homeless people, she would always give them any form of money.
As he continued his journey, he thought to himself, The government should do something about all this homelessness.
While Trila was known for its fleeting fish markets and its complex underground railway, the issue of poverty was often disregarded. Theales, the country as a whole, did not emphasize solving its poverty situation. Often making excuses and/or ignoring protests.
The two powerful kingdoms that neighbored Theales were just as bad. Lebrad and Gliasia, while both boasting incredible knowledge and immense militaries, respectively, struggled when dealing with the poverty issue.
Gliasia was the kingdom with the worst relationship with Theales. Years of bad blood between the kings and queens meant war could erupt any second.
Then, just three mere days ago, disaster struck Theales. Its crown, Empress Thala Selwyn, was brutally assassinated by terrorists who infiltrated the palace. The result was the sole leadership that was left to Emperor Magnus, who immediately suspected Gliasia.
After thick tensions surrounding the mysterious island of Preole Grye, a small piece of land south of the Western Cradle that was taken from Gliasia by Theales, Gliasia had always been thought to wage war on its neighbor.
However, no war had taken place. Instead, Gliasia's monarchy went into shambles. Their former monarch, Emperor Quinton Maxi, was murdered, and a new leader emerged: Edmund Evermoor.
Magnus knew a war with a big kingdom like Gliasia would be a bloodbath, so he stopped his attack. Instead, he sent Theales' Secret Police to sneak into Gliasia and Lebrad. Their job was to collect information about who was behind these deaths and why.
The sudden homicide of the empress hit Theales drastically. The economy tanked, and even the fish markets, which usually boomed, crashed.
Citizens of Theales started pointing fingers at the Elevated—those with special powers—blaming them for the queen's death.
Protests to eradicate the Elevated became rampant. People who once protected this nation during the 4th Era Great War were now targeted.
Fortunately, Magnus surprisingly came to their defense and dismissed any accusations. Murders still became extremely rampant in Theales, causing the military to take action and deploy inside the country itself.
Weapon shops opened on each block, and every man, woman, and child now held any kind of weapon. Who knows if they get attacked next? Theales has become a kingdom infested with murder.
Darian pushed Emory's stroller past Fisher's Market, which used to be a bustling metropolis. While it was a place infested with scamming and social class divisions, it was still a staple of Theales.
It's all empty... While surveying his surroundings, Darian couldn't help but remark on the significant absence of the public. The wheels on the stroller began spinning once more as they left the area and approached the municipal living precinct, where Darian and Elara lived.
A piercing shriek emanated from the area. Darian's back muscles tensed, eyes darting to where it came from. Emory, however, stayed as quiet as can be.
To his left, in a small closed café, a man and a woman were inside. The woman on the floor was kneeling, and what looked to be a man was beside her.
Darian approached carefully to examine, his pupils constricted, cold sweat running down his back. His large hand loomed over Emory's face before gently covering his eyes.
The scene Darian witnessed was not a pleasant one. It was a man, dead, in an unopened café. His body was crushed, his arms and legs flattened, his torso nowhere to be found. His head was jagged and scarred. This wasn't just a regular killing, no, this was planned.
This was torture. The smell of cold metallic blood panged Darian's nostrils. From the corner of his ear, he could hear murmurs arise. Citizens who had walked past gossiped. W-Why would they talk like that...? This is a death! A death! Are they that used to it? Feeling his blood warm up, Darian felt the urge to run away but continued looking toward the brutal murder scene.
A woman knelt beside the corpse; she was wailing. A couple of passersby came and surrounded the dead body; some of them started consoling the lady. "D-don't let him get away!" The lady screamed, "He went left, someone gets him! Get him!"
Darian, who was originally peeking into the café, turned his head and looked straight ahead; there was indeed someone running. He was wearing a black suit and holding two daggers. His skin was tainted red, and a dark maroon aura surrounded him.
The ground beneath the man's feet caved in slightly as he bent his knees to jump. He landed on the roof of a neighboring building.
Emory, who was in the stroller, was waiting silently. He held a small, cheap toy Darian bought for him and put it in his mouth. His black hair was fluttering in the wind, his red eyes covered by Darian's hand.
Darian's mouth moved, but no words could be spoken. This was the second time he had seen a dead body in the past 3 days.
"..."
Darian could only move the stroller and leave the area as fast as he could. His face was frozen with fear. The lady was screaming for someone to help catch the man.
While Darian didn't like to think of himself as a coward, he did, however, know his limitations. He had no supernatural abilities, and his physicality was subpar. It was better for everyone if he just left the area.
After a couple of minutes, they arrived at their house. Locking the door immediately behind him, Darian rushed to the washroom to relieve himself.
Their house was a one-story house on Hind Street, towards the end of the long collection of houses. As he exited the bathroom, wiping his hands with a towel, a loud crash reverberated through the area.
"The military… this is serious." He picked up Emory and placed him on the dark green, worn-out couch. "Hopefully they stop at nothing to catch him..." The Theales military included some of the most powerful individuals in the country. When they got involved, like they did at the hospital, the problem was serious.
Emory did nothing but stare at the man speaking to him. His dark red eyes watched Darian silently.
"A-alright. I know, let's eat some yummy food. I bet you're hungry, little Em!" He tried to distract himself from the atrocities occurring near his home.
Food was being prepared as Emory looked at his surroundings. Not once did he cry or show any sign of discomfort. All he did was stare silently.
Darian, while cooking, glanced at the silent baby continually. After he fed and changed Emory, he put him to bed. Emory didn't fuss nor cry; Darian's mouth twitched slightly as the baby looked like it was staring him in the soul.
The cold autumn air hit Darian like a dagger as he stood on the balcony. Faint murmurs filled the night; house lights flickered throughout the city like fireflies.
"Elara." He put his forearms on the railings, his eyes cold and isolated.
The next morning, Darian awoke to a knocking sound on his door. He groggily approached the large white piece of wood in front of him and opened it. The newspaper? I thought it was only on Thursdays.
While drinking tea, he began to look through the papers. The annual minister-public conference was canceled?
The minister-public conference was a meeting run by Trila's minister cabinet. It was set up by the High Chancellor Valtha Ashenvale and was a meeting where the public could voice their concerns about issues in the economy.
Trila was the only city in Theales to do this, which is why it's the most densely packed city in the kingdom. With a population of a little more than 2 million, it boasts the 3rd largest city in the Western Cradle, only behind Gliasia's Argenhold and Brenholm, each housing a little over 4 and 3 million.
Darian himself never attended the minister-public conference, but he was aware of what it meant to the people of Trila. Without the suggestions made during it, Trila would be severely lacking in its complex underground railway system, essential for its transportation of fish from one side of the city to another.
It's also the catalyst for Theales National University, which is one of the best schools in the nation. The cause for the cancellation was because the murders were too rampant; too many people in one place is a goldmine for terrorists.
Emperor Magnus Van Selwyn IV issued a report this morning, urging citizens of Theales to not leave their houses unless necessary. The military could be found in any corner, and members of the Secret Police are investigating suspects and victims of the brutal torture that happened in the café yesterday.
"Oh my, how am I supposed to enroll Emory in a daycare?" Darian scoffed at the urgency and put the newspaper down.
Inside Emory's crib, the little black-haired, red-eyed child was wrapped in a blanket, staring at the roof. He was no older than 4 days, and yet, he didn't cry once.
Darian gently opened the door, avoiding the puzzles and books in his path. He meticulously made his way to the crib. "Good morning, baby." The blue blanket covering Emory's body was slowly unraveled as the baby stretched his arms in reflex.
Darian lifted the child and took him to the kitchen. Placing Emory on the couch beside the newspaper he dropped. Emory's head turned to face the paper, and his eyes widened.
It was a picture of the tortured man in the café. Emory glared intensely at the picture of the dismembered man. His red eyes analyzed, his facial features focused. The newspaper in front of him was quickly taken away. "Uh uh. This is not something babies should look at." Darian placed the newspaper on the table next to him and handed Emory a pacifier.
Wrinkles started forming around Emory's face, and for the first time in his four days of living, the child cried.