After everyone put their plates on the wooden table, Kyros released a sigh. "When you asked about the demons, was it because you both planned to visit the Founding Emperor's tomb?"
"Yeah. I want to test my luck to see if I can get it open."
Kyros slowly nodded before saying, "Then you should learn the demons' names before trying your luck."
"Do you have any idea?"
"...My old friend. He witnessed the invasion of the demons and saw two demons from what I can recall."
Selene's eyes narrowed slightly. "For that to be possible, wouldn't he be over—"
"Yeah, he is over a hundred years old, a Master Level Ascendant and a blacksmith. His name is Carlos." Kyros furrowed his brows. "I was ten years old when I first met him in the city of Rolay fifty years ago—"
"Carlos… That wouldn't be the famous Carlos Sion—the 'Lifemaker'," Selene said in surprise, though her left eyebrow twitched slightly, leading Kyros to nod. Meanwhile, Lorian's eyes widened, a white sword flashing through his mind after hearing the name.
"Yeah, he is that famous Forger. I suggest you go visit him. I can give you a letter that you can use to arrange a meeting and talk with him. The letter will help persuade him to talk about that time, maybe it can help you narrow down the demon's name."
"Thank you, Kyros."
Kyros shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you both for helping me home… and for listening to my ramblings. It felt good to have another listener."
Amelia, overhearing their conversation, chimed in with a twinkle in her eye. "You know, you're both welcome to join us for dinner tonight. I'll be making my special stew, and you can join us for breakfast tomorrow as well."
"We'd love that, Amelia," Lorian said, exchanging a glance with Selene, who nodded in agreement.
…
As Lorian and Selene stepped out of the house, the sunlight burst forth like a golden promise, warming their skin and illuminating the streets. Lorian put away the letter, made out of fabric, inside his personal satchel. Before he began moving forward, Selene followed next to him, both walking aimlessly.
Selene took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "You know," she remarked gently, a smile gracing her lips, "the adults here are nice."
"Yeah, they are," Lorian nodded in agreement, warmth spreading through him.
"Far better than some of the ones at home," Selene added, a playful glimmer dancing in her eyes. The quip elicited a chuckle from Lorian.
But their laughter faded as they turned a corner and spotted a cluster of children gathered nearby, their small forms huddled closely together. They stood glancing between one another, concern etched on their faces.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Lorian asked softly as he approached. The children froze for a moment, uncertainty flickering across their faces, before one girl stepped forward.
Her hair was tied back in a messy braid, wisps framing her face. With a comforting arm wrapped around another girl who clung to her side, her voice trembled as she spoke. "It's Kali's dad," she stammered. "He's been sitting on the wooden bench in a daze for a while." She tenderly stroked Kali's back, the smaller girl trembling softly against her.
A boy with curly hair and vibrant green eyes chimed in, glancing back and forth between his friends in a mix of concern and urgency. "Mr. Evans hasn't responded to any of our words… Sui has been comforting Kali but…"
Kali, her voice barely above a whisper, echoed her fear. "Daddy was fine yesterday… But now… Did that horrible darkness do something—"
"Of course not, your father is way too strong to be affected by that." Lorian assured her with a faint smile.
Kali's head snapped up, meeting Lorian's gaze as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. He knelt down to their level, golden eyes staring into Kali's grey ones.
"He's most likely lost in thought. We adults tend to get so caught up in our minds that we forget our surroundings."
"R-Really?" Kali's voice quivered with doubt.
"Uh, I think he is right, Kali," the curly-haired boy piped up, blinking. "My mom used to stare into the distance for a while. But Dad said she was just thinking."
"My aunt does that too!"
"My uncle, but I always figured he was just being his weird self."
"My grandpa and grandma do it too, but isn't that because they're old?"
The playful banter mingled with their earlier anxiety. As the children exchanged thoughts, Lorian could see the tension in Kali begin to ease ever so slightly. Kali's expression shifted to a slight frown as she mumbled, "Then do we have to wait till he comes back?"
"Nah, I'll go wake him up. Then you can complain to him for making you worry."
"Of course, Uncle Evan must pay!" one child exclaimed, their enthusiasm returning.
"Making us worry!" echoed another, their spirits lifting with every word.
"But after making sure he is fine. Mr. Evan deserves that much—"
"Boris, he wants us to call him Uncle. Stop with your Mr. Evan nonsense!"
"Nonsense, my mother says to speak with respect," Boris retorted, crossing his arms defiantly.
Lorian chuckled as he saw all the kids' somber expressions lift. Kali's eyes sparkled with hope as she nodded vigorously, muttering a please. Lorian stood up, his gaze falling on a man slumped over on the wooden bench, dark spots under his grey eyes, fingers absently tracing the grain of the wood.
He began making his way, with Selene following and saying. "That's the man who was held down last night, trying to enter into the Abyss Call."
As Lorian and Selene settled beside him, the creaking of the bench echoed softly in the quiet. "Hello, my name is David," Lorian introduced gently. "Are you doing alright?"
Evan remained in a daze, his gaze unfocused on the ground, yet Lorian continued, "Are you still hearing the voice of Kyle from last night?"
In an instant, Evan blinked, a spark of recognition disrupting the fog in his mind. "You… You two were at the bar yesterday," he stammered.
Lorian nodded. "Yeah, I heard about—"
"My stupidity? My weakness?" Evan interjected, a tremor running through his voice.
"Your desire to not abandon your little brother," Lorian corrected, watching as Evan's body trembled and flinched. "I can tell you truly love him, that isn't stupidity or a weakness."
Evan's stare lingered on Lorian, a mixture of disbelief and vulnerability washing over him. He looked away, clasping his hands tightly together, grounding himself as he took a deep breath.
Evan stared at Lorian for a bit before looking down, clasping his hands together and trembling. "The… The voice you heard—"
"My mother." Evan clenched his hands together. After hearing Lorian, he took a deep breath before releasing it.
"Did you know," Evan began, his voice a low rumble, "my brother and I, Kyle, lived in Umbra Village with our parents. The both of us had no worries and enjoyed life together, and it should have continued that way…"
"But…"
"The Flame Drive incident happened fourteen years ago. It was a nightmare that consumed everything I held dear." Evan paused, his expression shifting from unspoken memories.
"I was just fourteen," Evan continued, his voice trembling as raw emotion seeped through. "A boy caught in the chaos, watching his home… be consumed by flames."
Each word was steeped in pain, resonating with Lorian. Her could image it, the confusion of everyone, the screams, and the crackle of fire threatening to engulf everything around.
"As the village burned, I remember the screams, the cries for help. I remember my parents, engulfed in flames, their faces twisted in agony. I was terrified. I ran."
Lorian recalled the reports of the legions of demons leaving the Demon Border, bypassing the Fortress of Nahlihali's surveillance. They had descended upon Umbra like a storm, igniting the village in flames, leaving nothing but ash.
"My brother…" Evan's voice cracked, a fissure of pain opening in his heart. "He was just a child. I was supposed to protect him. But when the fire came, I was paralyzed with fear. Everything in me seemed to block out everything…" His voice faded, the weight of unimaginable guilt suffocating him. "Before I realized it, I was running…"
Selene, who had been silent until now, spoke gently, "You were just a boy, Evan. You didn't know what to do—"
"No!" he interjected, his voice rising like a tempest. "I should have known better! I should have turned back! I was his brother, his protector! Instead, I acted like a coward. I ran while he—" He choked on the words, the weight of his guilt suffocating him. "He must have been so scared, alone in that inferno."
"But if you stayed or tried to go back, you would have died."
"...Yes. All because I was weak." Evan raised his hands to his face, gripping it. "If only I was strong back then… If only I was as strong as her. Selene Zult, the one who killed the legions that burned the village."
Lorian fell silent while Selene glanced to the side, as Evan continued. "She was only eight years old, a kid, a little girl. But she stood against the demons and destroyed all of them, her sword slashing apart the entire village. She was an absolute destroyer to those demons, a true monster who saved the rest of us."
Lorian slowly nodded, as Evan's words were true but an understatement. Selene is considered the youngest Ascendant in history, attaining Apprentice Level at only eight years old. A monstrous genius that, in terms of absolute strength, has no equal. It was also through the Flame Drive incident that Selene became famous, her exploits spreading across the entire desert. It was the legendary beginning of the youngest Master Ascendant.
And Activia's strongest sword.
"But you survived," Lorian said softly. "You're still here. Isn't that worth something?"
Evan turned towards him, his expression hardening. "Surviving isn't enough…" His voice dropped, heavy. "I can't keep denying it… My actions, the fact it happened, and my brother's screams."
"Then do you want to forget it?" Selene asked softly.
"Huh?" Evan's confusion flickered momentarily, a brief flash before understanding.
"With my powers as a Ruler," Selene continued, "I can make you forcibly forget that haunting memory. You will no longer feel the pain."
"R-Really! If so then, please—"
"But you should know this means you will lose all memories of your brother." Selene's words came gently, making Evan's eyes widen in shock. "You will be free of the guilt and anguish, even when night comes. You will be simply ignorant and confused by the voice and not be tempted."
Evan's expression shifted through various emotions, hope, disbelief, and fear before settling on horror. Selene moved her hand toward him slowly, advancing with a calm expression. Lorian watched as Selene's hand was only a couple inches away.
Suddenly, Evan recoiled, the legs of the bench moving slightly in the ground. "No!" he cried out, terror etching deep lines across his face. "No… No," he gasped, voice cracking with desperation as his back pressed hard against the rough wood. "Please, don't take them away, don't take my memories of Kyle."
Selene paused, her hand falling to her side. Her brow pinched with concern, but her lips curled in a gentle, understanding smile. "Even the painful ones?" she asked softly. "You would choose to hold onto the hurt?"
"Yes!" Evan's voice rose, as he stared at his trembling hands in a daze. "Those memories are all I have left. The good and the bad, they're part of me. They remind me of who Kyle was, of the bond we shared. I never want to forget that, even if it hurts."
A silence settled, passing between all three for a couple seconds.
Lorian's voice slipped into the stillness, steady and gentle. "Then you should understand something," he said, leaning forward so Evan could see the sincerity in his eyes. "Accept that you did leave him, but also that he isn't fully dead."
Evan's gaze lifted, confused and searching. "He isn't… fully dead?"
Lorian offered a soft, hopeful smile. "I like to think someone isn't truly gone as long as they're remembered. Kyle has no one else in the world to keep his memory alive but you, his older brother. So take care of yourself, for his sake, too."
Evan fell into silence, wrestling with the words. Slowly, a fragile smile grew on his lips. "...It's funny. When I heard his voice yesterday… he was angry at me, not for leaving, but for not talking about him. Or telling his adorable niece about him, in his own words."
"It's fine, Evan," Selene said, shaking her head slightly but with knowing eyes. "Guilt and anguish make us miss the obvious sometimes."
A breathy laugh escaped Evan, bittersweet but real. "You're right… You two… why did you come over to listen and help me? From what I can tell, you only just arrived yesterday, so—"
A small voice cut through his question. "It's because I asked them, Daddy!"
Evan blinked before he saw Kali slowly making her way over to him, looking at him in concern. Lorian watched as Evan's expression shifted to one of anguish, then happiness, as he brought Kali into his arms, hugging her tightly. He buried his face in her hair for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of his daughter, and let the ache in his chest loosen its grip.
"What were you worried about?" Evan asked, his voice softer than before, the words barely more than a whisper between them. A gentle smile pushed through the lines of exhaustion on his face.
Kali's reply was muffled against his chest. "I was scared when you didn't talk to us. You just sat there, and we didn't know what was wrong…" Her words caught on a sob, but she clung tighter,
Evan chuckled softly, his laughter lighter than before as he leaned back. "But he told us you were just in a daze and you would recover like all adults do." Kali finished, turning a grateful look to Lorian.
Evan glanced over at Lorian and Selene, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Well, he is right. But he did help me recover faster, thank you." Evan then looks into Kali eyes, brushing a stray tear from her cheek.
"Thank you!" Kali echoed, her voice brightening as she turned to the others.
Lorian smiled at the father and daughter duo grinning at him, while the other kids came running up and cheering. Their laughter rose up, tentative at first, then blooming into something bright and free. Boris led the charge, shouting, "Uncle Evan's back!" as if announcing the return of spring after a long, cold winter.