If Kaelen's hand hadn't been quick enough to block that arrow, the deadly object would have struck him straight in the neck. Yet even though he managed to survive, Kaelen still felt a trace of fear. He had lived for 14 years in the Cursed Land of Zyretheil. Still, things like that always left him speechless.
"Who are you?" asked a grown man who had just fired the arrow at Kaelen.
The man covered one of his eyes like a pirate. That detail made Kaelen's gaze carefully trace him from head to toe. Since his arrival in Elyndor, and especially since the tragic event he even refused to recall, the boy had grown more cautious of the people he encountered.
"Who is he?" whispered Kaelen in his heart. He might have sounded like he was talking to himself. But this was how he communicated with his Vaerloch.
It didn't take long before a voice entered his hearing. Though of course, only Kaelen could hear it.
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Kaelen fell silent for a moment at that response. It was true. Every Vey'zareth felt dread when hearing whispers from their Vaerloch. Why did Kaelen choose to communicate?
His thoughts shifted again when another whisper reached his ears.
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While analyzing the muscular figure before him—whose height was nearly twice his own—Kaelen was caught off guard when the man named Magnus suddenly cleared his throat.
"What are you staring at?" he asked with a deep voice. Just from his expression, Kaelen already understood that the man wasn't fond of his attitude.
Without thinking much, Kaelen only shook his head. He then returned the arrow that was already in his grasp to the man. "This belongs to you. Next time, you can't greet everyone who comes here like that."
Kaelen then walked past the man, who was still standing in his place. Yet on his third step, Kaelen felt his shoulder seized. Without turning back, he stopped.
"I don't like welcoming guests," the man said curtly before stepping forward and standing right in front of Kaelen. "If you insist on entering and joining, make sure you'll be the last."
The two locked eyes for a while. Each released an aura of hostility so intense that even though Kaelen was only 14 years of Zyretheil, he did not fear facing the tall, broad-shouldered man before him.
"I didn't come here to join any alliance or with anyone," Kaelen replied. He still dared to meet Magnus's gaze. "For me, this place is one of the safest for now. And I need it for my own matters." Kaelen added, "And yes, I didn't come here to fight. I don't even have a weapon, nor the strength to hurt anyone."
Kaelen didn't know since when he had the courage to challenge someone like this. But after everything, he could see the world from a different perspective—something darker and more terrifying than the curse itself.
Magnus nodded at that answer. "Not many people dare to speak like that."
This time, Kaelen nodded in return. He even crossed his arms in front of his chest arrogantly. "Better that way. I don't like duplicates."
Just as Magnus was about to speak, his gaze stopped unintentionally at Kaelen's chest. His widened eyes and furrowed brows revealed just how shocked he was.
Without saying a word, Magnus lifted the boy's clothing that covered his chest, trying to confirm the wound he had. And when he realized it, Magnus was utterly astonished to discover that the boy standing before him had no Elarith.
"Sir, excuse me. But you've crossed the line. Even if you don't welcome guests, that doesn't mean you should violate their privacy, right?" Kaelen, feeling uncomfortable, immediately tried to hold Magnus's hand at his chest, intending to cover the scar again tightly.
But Magnus's much greater strength made Kaelen fail to cover it back.
Magnus shook his head in disbelief, then looked straight into Kaelen's eyes. "What is this? Your Elarith is gone? How can you live in such a condition?"
"We all know the rules in Zyretheil. If I'm still here, that means I haven't broken them," Kaelen explained. In his heart, he desperately wanted to leave this place.
There were still so many things Kaelen had to think about and do. He also needed to rest to recover, especially since his Vaerloch had to slumber after using its power too early.
But it seemed Kaelen had to put his wish on hold when Magnus swiftly grabbed his hand. "I said I don't like guests, but what I hate even more is the stench of a corpse sharing the same place with me."
The moment their hands touched, Kaelen felt his soul slip out of his body, drifting into memories he had tried to forget his whole life.
In memories he wished to cast away, Magnus's words and actions resembled someone Kaelen knew very well. He remembered when, as a child, he often fell on barren ground, and a large hand would reach out to help him stand.
"Hey, son, get up. It doesn't matter if you fall at the first step. At least on the second and the next, you'll be more careful not to fall into the same hole again." Those were the words that still lingered in Kaelen's head.
And then everything happened so fast that Kaelen was left confused. Which version of his father wasn't a lie? Was he the one who helped him stand up when he was young? Or was he the one who cruelly tore away his Elarith and threw him into this hell?
Without realizing it, Kaelen had fallen silent for several seconds while recalling the incident. His eyes grew misty, but he refused to let the tears fall. More precisely, he refused to shed tears for a man he no longer wished to remember.
When Magnus shook his hand, Kaelen snapped back. He instinctively yanked his wrist free from Magnus's grip with force.
"I know what I must do. Don't worry, my corpse won't rot here. And even if it does, I'll make sure it never reaches your sense of smell," Kaelen said firmly.
Feeling he had spoken enough, Kaelen finally left Magnus behind, heading deeper into the cave—which was honestly far too lavish to be called a cave.
How could it not be? Kaelen had never imagined that inside the cave there would be a crystal-clear pool with a bottom visible to the naked eye. Moreover, above the pool was a large opening that allowed him to see celestial bodies like the moon or stars.
When Kaelen was about to lower his gaze, the corner of his eye accidentally caught a silhouette moving above the large opening over the pool. He wanted to look up, but his soul was already too weary.
"I don't care what happens. Even if I try to prevent it, that doesn't guarantee bad things won't come."