Dawn broke with a hush, the town still rubbing sleep off its eyes. A cool breeze brushed over Sulivan's feet, stirring him from sleep. "Where's the blanket?" he mumbled.
Blinking away the blur, he scanned the room—Eldwyn was still deep in slumber on his bed but when he looked to Aizzy's side, she wasn't there. Turning to the desk, he spotted her fast asleep on the desk, papers scattered. With slow but deliberate steps, he reached for his cloth beside him, walked toward her and draped it over her shoulders. He arranged the papers afterwards.
"...there's still five left." Aizzy muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Sulivan glanced at her, a small smile on his face. *She looks so peaceful.*
Her words lingered.
Sulivan stood there for a moment, then gently opened the door and stepped out, closing it softly behind him.
As the cock crowed, he noticed a few sellers mounting their stalls, arranging their goods and preparing for the day ahead.
The aroma of freshly baked bread alongside the crisp scent of street food drifted through the air. Even at this hour, it was enough to stir Sulivan's appetite.
Whatever they're cooking... I got to try some soon, he thought.
The aroma still lingered, his hands buried in his pocket as he walked toward the climbing sun. It reminded him of how he used to watch the sun rise, not here—back in Gairo. As a few memories fluttered back, one stood out: a vow he made as a kid. I will find it; the liquid which made our ancestors powerful.
The Red Men are known for their sense of ancestral pride—a trait which led to their fall. But those traits are buried in all, a connection, a sense of belonging, and that liquid? Was a symbol of their pride.
"Did I really forget it?" he murmured. "Or I just did that subconsciously...? An unintentionally invoked mechanism to save myself. Because I was mocked? Or because I was a kid?"
He paused, staring at the horizon.
"I feel like the fire I once had for it.. has been snuffed out."
"Why am I even helping Eldwyn? As far as I know, I have no connection to him. So,... why?"
Sulivan was filled with questions that had no answers, each one heavier than the former. The sun climbed higher, casting shadows over the town, but his mind stayed in the shadows, his unanswered questions buried beneath his thoughts.
He resolved himself, whatever it may be, this journey might rekindle that lost flame of his. He turned his back to light, with a brief smile, walked back to the apartment.
A while later he arrived. He paused at the entrance, eyes scanning the small quiet place. Aizzy was still asleep, the cloth he'd draped over her shoulders earlier, now pulled tighter around her shoulders. Eldwyn wasn't around, but Sulivan guessed he had gone out to buy something to eat. They hadn't eaten before sleep the previous day so...
With a sigh, he melted into his bed.
*The universe will reveal the answers to me, I guess.*
As he melted into his bed, a spoon of ice cream melted in Eldwyn's mouth.
But not far from their calm, in the city's heart, a different kind of unrest simmered.
Zarial, the obese noble, sat back on his porch, the transmission orb flickering beside him. On the otherside, a woman cloaked in white—her beauty was concealed beneath the fabric—glared at him.
"Err... Lady Rugal, things didn't go as we planned." Zarial's voice wavered.
"And what do you mean by that?" Lady Rugal asked, her tone cold and firm.
"Well, you see... the raid couldn't go ahead. It was interrupted by unknown travelers."
Lady Rugal's gaze stiffened, her silence pressing against him.
"You're joking, right?!" Her voice filled with disbelief. "I thought you could handle this, Zarial. Have they been taken care of?"
"That's the thing we still haven't found them yet." His voice squeaked under the pressure of her stare.
"..." Lady Rugal, without a word ended the transmission. The orb went dark.
Zarial sat frozen, unsure of whether to feel relief or dread. Had he narrowly escaped punishment? Or had her silence condemned him to a fate far worse?
Meanwhile, through the now bustling streets was Eldwyn.