Avin sat with a pale face, looking up at the red and pink petals in a trance. Selina eyed him pitifully-even she knew not to push Avin's levers on days like these. But she slapped him when she saw that he was about to start drooling.
Avin didn't snap back at her, only rubbed at his cheeks, his eyes groggy as if waking up from a sleep.
"So… another poison day huh." She asked. "Must be fun."
Avin shook his head, his eyes heavy, and glared at Selina "It is fun, would you like to try?"
"I appreciate the offer but no thanks." Replied, "Milk is poison enough for me, I want to puke whenever auntie forces it down my nose."
Avin scowled at her, "spoiled pampered brat!"
"Thats not pampering that's abuse and bullying." She snapped.
"Big words for an Ignorant and Illiterate brat!" Avin snapped, and earned a punch to his arms.
"Ow! Stop that, do you have any idea how hard it has been for me today? First that cursed nightmare, then that new poison. It's not even been half a day, and the world seems to create, and throw new troubles my way."
"New poison? Dream? What are you talking about?" Selina asked, before she pulled Avin's dagger free of its sheathe, toying with it. Avin snatched it back and pulled it away from her reach.
"I had a damn nightmare last night, and not the normal kind of me getting my pants pulled down, while in front of Elizei in public. Or the one when I fell into a pit trapped with you for months– although I admit that would come pretty close to the cold darkness of that nightmare when it comes to the sheer horror It gives me. But the cold is gone now, and all I feel is the effect of that new poison Vlad cooked up, the bastard seem to be getting more creative as my training goes on, and not in a good way obviously. Sometimes it feels like he just wants to torture me in the most fun, and twisted way possible for him."
Normally Selina would've added a joke or two but now she only patted him in the shoulders consoling, and then snatched the blade out of his hand and jumped off the tree stump and aimed it towards Avin.
"Give it back Selina, I'm not in the mood for this." Avin said exasperated.
"Take it from me, come on!" She said smirking, "or better yet, teach me, I always wanted to see how good of a fighter I could be." Avin looked at her and sighed. Selina wasn't the normal kind of kid, she was a weirdo. Avin had read about girls who wanted to break social norms and do something out of the box, like going on and adventure, or challenge whatever the status quo they're born in. But Selina didn't have a romantic bone in her body. She didn't want to become a warrior, or an Oracle, she never talked about leaving the Krimzon valley to go adventure in the Empire and beyond. She just enjoyed the life at it came at her. Living the life in the moment.
Honestly Avin kind of admired that about her, and envied her. Though he would never admit it.
"Alright, let's see…"
Selina was surprised by his reply, but Avin had different thoughts in his mind. The Ulov were getting aggressive, and sooner or later they might get into the Delsy colony, he wanted to make sure Selina knew a thing or two about defending herself.
"What? Are you being serious?" She asked, astonished.
"Why can't I be?" Avin replied nonchalantly. "Now…"
Selina suddenly tensed "wait you'll teach me how to fight?" She asked, all pretext of her sober and dry persona gone, and replaced with the wonder of a fifteen year old child.
"No. I won't be teaching you how to fight, you're too small, if you ever confront a Ulov, or any adult you will stand no chance against them no matter how much self defence you know, you're outclassed is speed, weight, experience and well, everything else you can think of…"
"But–" Selina began but Avin cut her off.
"But… you have one advantage, and that is you can surprise them. You don't need to pose your blade in front of your enemy, no, if you ask me, you need to hide it from sight."
"Hide? But why?" She asked.
"Because! You want the enemy to lower their guard when they approach you, like I said, you cannot overpower them, you cannot out pace them, and you certainly cannot outskill them, so all you need to do is surprise them at the right time. You hide your blade and when the enemy gets close to you, let them see you as nothing more than a weak sack of meat, and then… Neck, head or groin. These are the only places where you need to attack, with everything you have. These will incapacitate them or knock them out, and in the best case scenario finish them."
Selina eyed him, "That… would work?" She asked skeptically.
"Work? I can't promise anything, but that's your best chance, though do remember, this kind of tactic can only work on one or at best two opponents, any more than that, and you'll expose yourself as a threat, most probably after you manage to take down your first enemy, they will kill you I'm afraid, but do thank me before you die though, for at least teaching you how to die with dignity." Avin said and dashed forward, Selina yelped back and Avin snatched the dagged away from her, winked at her and walked off towards the Chiefs keep.
Soon Avin arrived at the big gray building where the guards were practicing with wooden weapons, and running drills, the place was more active than before and Avin had guessed as to why.
He was looking around to find the chief when his gaze fell on… Elizei. She was sitting on a bench playing with something in her hands. Her dark red hair was set loose as always. But she didn't have that same dark expression like she was walking towards her own execution she had most of the time.
She wore the white dress with the red sash and a long black gloves in her left hand that she always wore, people thought that Elizei had a grousome burn on that hand, and she tried to hide with the globe.
Avin thought for a while, cursing himself an idiot, He mustered his courage and walked towards her. She looked up towards him with a surprised look and blinked.
"Oh Avin, good morning." She said cheerfully.
'She does remember my name huh damn that Selina, for putting ominous ideas in my head!' Avin would be lying if he said he wasn't pleased though.
"What's that?" he asked her, gesturing towards a polished smooth metal object, it was like two links of a chain, with a small cut in each link. Each link–groovy and crooked with uneven smooth edges.
"Ah this… it's a puzzle I bought from the merchant in Flery, on that day." She replied, giving him a wry smile.
Avin just scratched his head, awkward, "I would appreciate it if you could forget that." Avin said wryly, earning a chuckle from Elizei.
"It's hard to forget that face of yours like you were caught stealing something. But I understand, I explained about you and Selina to Yeri and Fuwina after you left, and Selina punched Fuwina."
"You did–did you... –wait what? Selina punched Fuwina?"
Elizei just laughed, "what, you didn't know? Selina didn't tell you?"
Avin shook his head, frowning.
"She punched Fuwina straight in the stomach for harassing you."
"That girl will get herself in deep waters one day…" Avin sighed. "Honestly, she should make more friends rather than going about punching people above her weight class… I fear for her future honestly."
"But she does have friends Avin, she has you."
Avin snorted, "Pfft, who. Me? I'm an outsider Elizei. I was talking about her making friends among her people. I am barely a good enough lab rat for Vlad, I don't qualify as a good friend for an orphan girl, or anyone my age here for that matter here."
Elizei eyed him with a weird look that Avin couldn't decipher, it was one of the looks Vlad gave him when Avin said; he couldn't do something.
It was the kind of look that said, 'You're talking stupid.'
Avin just shook his head and sat down on the bench beside Elizei, "So I'm guessing your Master is in there talking with the chief."
Elizei nodded and held up her puzzle, "yes and so I was trying to solve this puzzle now that I have some free time, before…" she trailed off, a faraway look in her eyes and Avin snapped his fingers in front of her face making her blink in surprise.
"Looks like you're also having a tough day huh!"
"What do you mean you also?" she asked.
"Don't even get me started." Avin replied lazily, and took the puzzle from her, running his fingers through the uncannily smooth metal, it was so polished that it reflected his face on its tiny surface.
"So, how do you solve this puzzle?" He asked, tapping it with his knuckles.
"You have to separate those links through the small cuts in the links…" she said with a frown.
"Well that looks doable enough," Avin said, he tried to rotate and pull the links through the cut, unfortunately the cut just wasn't wide enough for the links to pass through.
"You got any clues on how to solve this?" Avin asked, frowning.
"Yeah but It's… well, let's just say very vague. The merchant I bought it from said something about, how the two hearts that connect can separate the chains, and the second hint said, A link can choose to leave alone, but cannot connect until both want to." She said with a wry smile.
"Well, that definitely doesn't help." Avin said with a frown. "It seems like it takes two people to work the puzzle well… here." Avin offered the puzzle by holding one link, gesturing Elizei to grab the other with her gloved fingers.
"Hold tight, just wait."
Avin twisted his link until the cut of his link came face to face with the cut on Elizei's link, and then he twisted the metal circles and pulled ever so gently, he was afird it won't pull but with a sudden jolt, the link came free with a click.
Elizei's eyes went wide with a smile, as she looked at Avin's link in surprise like she couldn't believe it. And then a knowing smile bloomed on her face, "Great, but you do know what this means right?" She asked.
Avin cocked his eyebrows, "what does it mean?"
"Oh don't act innocent Avin, you think I don't know what that hint meant? And I know that you know what it means too, don't play coy with me now."
Avin just kept his face impassive, not betraying any hint of emotions he felt.
They looked at each other for a while, in silence. Both somehow knew what was inside the heart of the other. It wasn't fair, they both thought. It wasn't right, Elizei felt like she was going to walk towards her execution.
And Avin felt like he would live the life of a corpse.
Extreme emotions for sure, irrational even, but real nonetheless, so painfully real. Both looked at each other, afraid to break the silence but alas a shadow fell on them as a figure appeared between them.
Avin turned to find an elderly woman with neatly tied black and graying hair looking at them both. Dressed in a black robe, wearing a circlet of thin green vines and carrying a long white wooden staff.
"Aari Dreni." Avin snapped, and stood up– offering a bow. There was a bitterness in his tone as he said her name, but hoped she wouldn't notice. But then again, she probably did notice, you couldn't hide such things from an oracle, not unless you were Vlad.
Chief Kevan stood behind her smirking at Avin in a knowing way.
"Avin, yes?" Aari Dreni asked.
Her name wasn't really Aari. Aari was a title you took once you became a full Oracle. Dreni was her birth name, the name given to her by her father.
"Yes Aari"
"How is Vlad doing?" She asked.
"He has been well, Aari." Avin replied.
"I doubt that." She said simply, making Avin frown.
The Oracle turned towards Elizei, "Let us depart, we must begin the ritual as soon as possible before you take the Trial of Spirits." she turned and eyed Kevan and whispered under her breath, "time is running out." Avin barely caught It.
Avin's eyes widened as his head turned towards Elizei in surprise.
'So soon?' He almost said it out loud.
"Yes Mother." Elizei said as she followed behind the Oracle as they made their way out.
Avin stood there stunned, unable to say anything. It was only when Kevan patted Avin on the shoulders that he mustered enough courage.
"Wait for me chief." Avin said, and dashed out.
He caught up to Elizei shortly, "hey Elizei!" He called out.
She turned, her curly red hair blowing in the winds, the Oracle turned to look at Avin but then turned around and walked away. She seemed to have sensed what was happening and decided to walk ahead and give the two some privacy.
There was a flood of words boiling inside Avin, he never asked for much from his life, maybe because Avin had not known much in his life. He had heard of the world beyond the Krimzon valley. About castles and cities, wonders and marvels he had read in Vlad's book. But he never had any interest in seeing any of those. He did however want to see Elizei, it was a marvel to him somehow.
They were similar, both orphans picked up and raised by skilled masters. Trained with the duty and legacy of a people on their shoulders. Avin had to carry the legacy of the chaoswalkers. He was the only one left in the world outside of Vlad.
He didn't know why, maybe his feelings were just childish, something people his age often had, light hearted, juvenile, fleeting.
That didn't matter though, and so Avin opened his mouth to say what he needed to, but the words that came out were not what he wanted to.
"Here, you left this." Avin said, offering the puzzle link. Elizei looked at it for a moment, then another. And eventually looked up at Avin's face meeting his eyes and smiled the saddest smile he had ever seen.
"Keep it Avin, as a kind of… remembrance. A remembrance to something that could've been, I'll keep mine too. Safe with me."
"Why?... You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I know you can stop, it's not something they can force it upon you, and even if they do I can help–"
Elizei just shook her head, "Would you deny if Vlad asked you to continue his legacy?"
A wind blew, red and pink petals flew around them, twirling and twisting around them in a dance.
Avin wanted to say he could deny Vlad, he could... But he knew. They both knew.
They were raised to become something, someone for a purpose. All their life until that point had been about that purpose. If they denied that purpose? What had they lived for? What would they live for? No, denying that purpose would be like denying everything they were. And they feared it more than they had thought.
And in that beautiful moment, Avin looked at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and did the only thing he could. He smiled, and walked away.
"I will keep this piece with me too, as a good luck charm. And good luck to you too, on your trials."
Elizei looked at Avin's back and turned away, whispering under her breath, "Goodbye Avin."
She believed it to be a farewell in a way. And perhaps Avin did too. But it was just a goodbye. And not all goodbye's are farewell.