CHAPTER 68— Rune island aftermath(3)
The sun bled into the horizon, staining the sky in bruised hues of orange and deep, melancholic violet calling the end of a long day.
Fwoosh... Fwoosh...
A restless breeze swept across the shore, carrying the scent of salt and the heavy, lingering chill of the coming night.
At the he edge of another island not far from the rune island, three figures stood as if carved from stone. Confusion, hope, and a gnawing, unspoken dread flickered across their faces in the dimming light.
"Seris... Still hasn't returned."
They were watching the silhouette of Rune Island, their eyes locked on the horizon. They had waited for hours, their patience worn thin by the weight of the silence. No one spoke; the air was too heavy, charged with the premonition that the world had shifted in their absence.
All three of them had their eyes locked towards the direction of the rune island. Waiting for Seris. Who knows how much time has passed since they are waiting, but still... No one spoke or even complained because—
They were willing to wait whole day for him.
No one spoke much. Not because they can't but because they had something else to worry about.
How much time passed since they stood like that. No one knows but atleast finally. Their wait was answered.
"Huh?"
It was Junim who reacted first.
"Hey look." He pointed towards the orange sky. Denin and Nitin followed the direction of his finger. And then they saw it.
It was small but still visible. A small orange dot was was cutting through the twilight.
When the distance was closed. Relief slowly washed over everyone's faces.
It was Migl, the spirit, flying with erratic, pained wingbeats.
"That's migl" Denin thought. "And if migl is here that's means Seris."
A smile of relief appeared on his worried face quickly, he couldn't wait and quickly walked forward.
"Denin!" Nitin called him but Denin had already walked a few steps ahead.
A smile was covering his face as he walked towards Migl.
Migl who was flying towards them. His wings flipping in rhythm finally stopped when he came face to face with the group.
"Hey migl." Denin said with a smile. "You here means Seris is safe right. So where is the bastard?"
Junim and Nitin followed him from behind.
"Migl!... Seris?" Junim asked concern all over his face.
"Graps!"
It was only Nitin who had a different reaction then other two.
"What happened?" Denin turned towards Nitin at the heavily Grasping sound.
Nitin didn't say much. He simply remained silent and lowered his head slowly clenching his own locket that was hanging around his neck.
Denin's brow twitched at that reaction. He turned his head and saw some glassy tears on Junim's eyes too.
He too, was like Nitin, gripping his own locket.
"..."
Denin's expression slowly began to change he turned towards Migl again and that's when he finally noticed it.
The locket hanging between the spirit's fangs.
Denin's breath hitched his eyes widened and face went pale in an instant.
He remembered the way this locket used to hang around Seris's neck.
That same locket that used to hang around Seris neck was now between Migl's fangs.
Denin slowly extended his hand, his mouth was shaking tears were steaming down his cheeks. He was clenching his jaw tightly.
Migl slowly, very gently placed the locket on Denin's hand.
Denin slowly closed his fist around the locket.
The locket has returned but Seris didn't.
Denin looked at the locket with teary eyes. The tears that won't stop coming.
Behind him Junim was also sobbing while covering his mouth.
Denin closed his eyes while biting his lips. His expression tighten.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Nitin. But Denin didn't bother to turn.
Nitin looked at Migl, his eyes were carrying sadness but no tears were coming out of them it was obvious he is trying to suppress his tears.
"Migl... Can you give us Memory projection."
Migl nodded and let out a low, mournful thrill. he turned his head sideways. His eyes pulsed, turning into brilliant, glowing lenses that projected a shimmering, transparent screen into the humid air.
Denin opened his eyes and turned his head looking at the transparent screen.
Memory projection— A skill of spirits. The spirits who has contracted with a contractor. Can See,Share and Store the Memory of their master, starting from the Moments of their contract. And they can use Memory projection to show those Memories to anyone.
All three stood side by side their eyes fixed on screen as it flickered to life, showing Seris's last moments
Tttsshh... Fwoosh... woosh...
The way Seris was fighting so many students alone.
"Take it... And when you meet my friends. Tell them... Tell them that I fought till the end."
The way he snapped the locket and handed it to Migl.
"I died... But I never lost."
Everyone's expression tighten.
All three of them kept their eyes fixed on the projection.
They saw their friend fight, bleed, sweat and then. Finally meet his end.
"Tch..." Denin clicked his tongue.
Junim was biting his lip so hard that blood began to trail down his chin, mixing with his tears.
Even the usually calm Nitin too had his jaw locked, his teeth grinding together with enough force to threaten his own enamel.
But Denin? Denin was staring at the projection with teary eyes that had turned into pits of dark, bottomless fury.
He didn't look at Seris. Because His eyes were fixed at the boy standing over him—the one holding the axe.
Seris blood was tickling down from that axe.
He memorized the face. He etched the image of the killer into his memory, filing it away under the heading of Retribution.
Slowly, Denin opened his hand. He clicked the bloody locket open, then pulled it around his neck, letting it settle against his chest, right beside his own blue-stoned locket.
Then He turned his back on the screen, his gaze locking onto the distant, orange-lit silhouette of Rune Island.
The setting sun looked like a wound in the sky.
The tears never stopped coming out of his eyes but his face was far from sad. His gaze was fixed towards the direction of the setting sun. The direction of the territory of mage council. The direction where the students who killed Seris, lived.
"Those animals."
Denin said grabbing both locket tightly until the metal bit into his skin. His voice, rather then a wishper, felt like a roar. A declaration of an upcoming war.
"I will tear all of them apart limb from limb and burn all their pathetic cities to the ground."
---
"What are we gonna eat today?"
"Suger bread and herbal soup."
"Ugh... Not that again."
Young Rowan and Arden trotted through the autumn leaves, their shoulders aching under the weight of the firewood they'd hauled with their father. They spent the trek bickering over their upcoming evening meal.
Harold, their father, chuckled over their conversation, his calloused hands settling warmly on their heads.
"Don't worry, sons. We can have both."
"Really!"
Arden asked excitedly. His father nodded in reply. Arden cheered punching the air.
"Yeah!"
Rowan, however, lingered a step behind, pouting at the thought of having something else rather then his favourite.
But then the atmosphere shifted.
The village square had turned into a suffocating knot of people.
"Huh?"
"...?"
All three of them stopped after seeing the crowd of people looking at something.
Curiosity drew them in, They walked towards the crowd.
Rowan squeezed between the legs of adults to see the source of the commotion. Officers in tan uniforms were dragging a man—his wrists bound in heavy, cold iron cuffs.
"What happened?"
Harold asked someone nearby.
The person who was standing beside him with his arms folded replied.
"That guy killed someone."
Sigh... Rowan's father sigh after hearing that.
"What's happening Papa? Why is that uncle tied up and where are they taking him?"
Rowan stared, his innocent heart fluttering with confusion.
His father looked at his son then turned his head towards the direction of the police.
"That guy killed someone so the police is taking him into custody."
"Custody...? Where would that uncle be going?"
"To the prison ofcourse."
Hearing that young Rowan nodded his head.
"Is what that uncle did was really that bad?"
His father's eyes flinched at the boy's innocent question.
"Hey! come on, you— always asking questions."
Arden called him out. The father was looking at his two sons and started thinking what answer should he give to the young kids who doesn't know much about the world.
"Well... He killed someone and... Killing a person is considered a crime."
His father rubbed the back of his head and finally answered the question.
The word Crime hung in the air, heavy and absolute. Young Rowan nodded, his eyes wide, pretending to understand the gravity of a concept he was far too young to grasp.
Clack-clack... clack-clack!!! Clatter-clatter... Rattle-rattle....
The rhythmic, industrial heartbeat of the train dragged Rowan back to the present. He blinked, his eyelids feeling as though they were lined with lead.
For a long moment He stared up at the polished, sterile ceiling of the transport carriage
"Hey! you awake?"
The shadow of two faces covered him.
"Mhmm... Mmhm.."
When he rubbed his eyes then he finally saw them.
Ritvik and Sarina were looking at his face. Looking at them finally Rowan's heavy eyelids were properly opened. He sat back up his movements stiff as he looked around.
He was back at the train again.
The train was the same as the one that had carried them to the island, yet it felt like a different world.
The students were sitting on their seats though most of them were sleeping and some looked like they had just washed their faces.
The atmosphere in the train looked completely different compared to the first time he had boarded it with students.
"How could you be like that?"
"....?"
A voice that was coming from a certain distance drew Rowan's attention he tilted his head and saw some figures.
It was the instructors.
The other instructors were standing quite their eyes round and lips pressed into a thin Line. All of them genuinely looked scared.
Well the reason of their fear was quite obvious.
"Do you hear me...?"
It was Instructor Valeria.
Instructor Valeria specifically was seem to be shouting at someone. Though it doesn't look like that the person who was being scolded paid it any attention.
"Do you know just what happened?!"
Instructor Valeria was shouting at Instructor Aiden.
Aiden sat slumped in his seat, his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling with an infuriating, bored expression. Valeria stood over him, her face flushed, her hands trembling with suppressed rage.
"We should have gone immediately after that explosion but you stopped us saying the kids might just be fighting among themselves."
"..."
"How do you expect me to explain this to the principal? What am I supposed to tell him. That we were on a beach while the students were getting attacked by dark mages."
Her voice was so loud that it ran through the entire compartment. The students who were sitting on the front seat were sweating violently because of Instructors Valeria's temper.
Though the person whom that temper was directed at doesn't seem to care much.
Instructor Valeria started panting after scolding her lungs out of Instructor Aiden.
Finally only after Instructor Valeria wasn't in the condition to talk loudly anymore did instructor Aiden opened his lips.
"Relax Ria."
Those were the first words he spat out.
Instructor Valeria was taken aback by his still calm or maybe overly relaxed reaction.
"It's not like the students died or anything. And I'm sure this must have been a wonderful experience for them. I mean, fighting a dark mage— it's not a problem to get an early experience right?"
Aiden sat relaxed as he opened his one eye and looked at the students.
"Right students."
"YEAH!"
A collective roar was heard from the students.
"Shut up!"
The students quickly went quiet after Valeria's shout.
"Sigh..." Valeria sighed as she looked at Aiden's relaxed form and grintted her teeth she clenched her fist tightly.
"There was a causality."
Valeria said biting her lips.
"One student died."
"I don't think anyone even knew his name."
The entire compartment went silent at Aiden's completely carefree tone, even Valeria's face went blank.
The silence streched for far too long before someone's voice broke it.
"He is right... Nobody knew who that guy was."
"Who said that!"
Valeria shouted at the crowd of students again. Some students got goosebumps hearing her voice. It wasn't clear who said that as several students collectively averted their gaze away from Instructor Valeria.
Rowan looked at the spectacle with dull eyes, if this had happened infront of him before then he would have laughed at that but for some reason this type of scene was looking completely foreign to him.
"Hey Rowan!" Ritvik's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Hmm...?"
"Are you okay... You had suddenly collapsed." Sarina asked.
"Ah..." Rowan nodded softly his eyes that always had somewhat playful and childish look had been replaced with something else.
"I..." His voice started cracking. An unnatural amount of saliva kept forming inside his mouth that he kept swallowing, his breathing became heavy.
'Am I also gonna go to prison?'
He could feel a tight knot around his throat.
'But it wasn't my intention, I didn't mean to?'
The thought looped in his head, hysterical and terrifying.
'I... I don't wanna go to prison. I still have to find about Bhaiya. I still have to do something so that Ma and papa... I- I—"
Rowan put his one hand on chest as he grasped for air.
'I-I... I."
"Hey Rowan!"
The voice jolted him back once again.
"...!"
"What happened? Are you sick?"
Both of his friends were looking at him with concerning eyes.
Finally He tried taking a deep breath and then looked at his friends.
"I... Killed someone."
Finally Rowan said that the words sounded more like a confession prisoners give to the court. But the reaction that he got from his friends wasn't something he was expecting.
"Hmm..." Ritvik nodded. "Yeah so?"
"...?"
Rowan's eyes widened at the indifferent reaction.
"I'm saying i killed that guy?"
"Yeah so." Ritvik replied again his tone the same as before.
"I mean yeah sure you killed a dark mage,"
Ritvik shrugged.
"So you should be excited about the reward. Not moping around like this."
At those words Rowan's eyes flinched.
'A reward...? For killing someone?'
His mind doesn't seem to understand such statement. While Rowan's mind was juggling with these thoughts Ritvik continued.
"I'm wondering how many of us would be getting a reward since quite a lot of peopel— ouch~!"
Sarina hit Ritvik in the rib Ritvik rubbed his side as Sarina looked at Rowan.
Rowan was staring straight but his gaze wasn't directed at any of them.
"Hey Rowan."
"Hahh... Yeah?"
Rowan came out of his thoughts at her voice.
"What's with you? You seem bothered by something."
Rowan stared at her then nodded, he wanted to tell them how he feels. Tell them of what's bothering him. But... Rowan swallowed hard as he tightly pressed his lips togather.
'Would they understand?'
Seeing his friends indifferent reaction, seeing the students who were sitting on their seats carefreely. It made him question the reality itself.
How can they act like nothing happened. Like they didn't saw a person dying.. didn't saw the wounds, the lifeless body, laying alone on the cold cave floor.
Rowan put his hand on his chest and started breathing heavily. Strangely. Whenever he recall that moment. The moment his axe which he has always used for cutting woods, cutting through a person. He can't seem to breath properly. It was like his lunges were refusing to take any air.
"Rowan!"
"Rowan?!"
"Hey! you okay? what happened again?"
His friends looked at him in concern,. Ritvik even put his hand on Rowan's shoulder but it didn't seem to work. Rowan was lost in a world of his own.
"What do you think about it?"
Suddenly,. someone's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. His turned his head towards the direction of the voices.
There, in the Row beside him. Sitting there surrounded by his group was Ashwin.
They were all sitting on the same spots where they were first sitting when they boarded the train. The group was as always centred around one person. Ashwin.
Each groupmet was showing his own rune to others.
"See! What do you think?"
"Mine is better."
"Ughh.. man come on."
They were causally talking with each other showing off their runes, laughing like it was a school picnic.
Rowan stared at them with indifferent eyes for a moment but then suddenly his eyes widened and his breath started getting heavy again.
"...?"
Ritvik and Sarina noticed it as they followed Rowan's eyes.
Rowan's eyes were fixed on the mana core Ashwin was holding. the glowing, pulsating sphere he had ripped from Seris's broken body. He tossed it into the air, catching it with a perfect rhythmic thud against his palm.
The sight was a psychic hammer.
Thud!
Rowan's vision went dark. He slipped off his seat, his hands hitting the cold metal floor.
"Rowan!!"
Both his friends sat either side of him and grabbed his shoulders shaking him, trying to compose him. But Rowan was far from being composed.
His breathing was unnatural, his eyes were wide staring at the cold floor, sweat covering his face completely.
The other students of the compartment turned their head and looked at Rowan.
"...?"
"What's with him?"
"No idea."
Rowan could feel multiple gazes on him.
'No don't look at me."
The gazes that he doesn't want at this moment.
'Don't look at me Don't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at meDon't look at me.'
The pressure of those gazes were unnaturally making him uncomfortable.
Rowan slowly lifted his head and saw Ashwin looking at him with indifferent eyes.
The mana core was still resting on his hand.
The moment Rowan's eyes locked onto the core, the memory of Ashwin tearing that core apart from Seris's body came to mind.
"Ahahh..." Rowan whimred. His whole body shaking violently.
"Hey Rowan!!" His friends called him, but their calls were no use.
His lips were trembling, a continuous whimper escaped those lips, it looked like he was trying to say something but no words were coming out of his mouth it was like something was blocking his voice.
"Huh? What happened?"
Instructor Valeria who was scolding Instructor Aiden, noticed the commotion going at the back of the compartment. She quickly rushed towards Rowan as she got on one knee and looked at him.
The way the boy was trembling and his whole body was covered with sweat.
Valeria looked at Ritvik and Sarina.
"What happened to him?"
"We don't know."
"He suddenly started acting like this."
Valeria looked at the trembling boy and bit her lip. She quickly took out a small box out of her pocket and opened it.
Inside the box were some bear faced stickers. She quickly took out a sticker and put it on the pulse point of Rowan's neck.
Slowly... Rowan's trembling begins to subsided.
His eyelids started going heavy and soon drifted shut. the overwhelming noise of the train faded into a blessed, dark silence as he soon collapsed on the cold floor.
Valeria put her fingers infront of his nose.. after sometime she nodded thoughtfully.
"His breathing has normalised."
She looked at Sarina and Ritvik.
"When we return to the Grand Aetherion. Take him to the nurse office."
Both of them nodded.
Valeria got up and started walking away, her footsteps echoing in the silence, leaving Rowan slumped on the floor, drowning in a sleep that offered no comfort from the truth.
---
CHAPTER ENDS