Φ Looking at the joy pasted across Valda's face, Captivant lowers his head and starts fidgeting with his fingers and feet, only taking small glances upwards to look at her face.
A sick feeling rushes from the core of his heart, sending it throughout his entire body in a way that makes him feel like his very blood is full of nothing but sadness.
It disgusts him, it angers him, but more than anything, it embarrasses him as he knows he could walk forward, yet refuses to do so.
So he just keeps glancing upwards hoping for a miracle, and to his joy one does happen as Valda turns around and grabs him by his hands before pulling him forward and says, "This is Adrian, he is a very nice boy who has helped me keep my mind together over these last few months while you guys were gone, if it wasn't for him I don't know if I could be looking at you all right now."
Raising his head in an instant with a powerful swing, he says, "Hello, I am Captivant Nightfall, the son of the man who rescued you, and the further owner of this land, and I say to all of you, welcome to your home now and for however long you want to stay."
They smile back at the boy, and soon they lay him with questions.
"Thank you for looking after Valda."
"Hey, we saw really big windmills. Do you know what that's about?"
"Some of the flowers looked like they were dancing. Do you think we should go join them?"
"That forget over there seems to have lots of fun trees to play around in. Are we allowed to move over there?"
"Does this village keep any Wonderbeasts? I heard the big countries often happen to have a lot."
"Hey, what's that giant contraption coming out of the top of your house?"
Valda, stepping in front of him, says, "Hey, guys, don't lay Adrian with questions, it's rude."
Stepping in front of her, Captivant says, "Don't worry, I have no issues with it at all. You've all just come from a long journey, come inside and have a chat while my mother whips us up some food."
The rest of the kids raise their hands in happiness, and Valda says, "Isn't this a lot of people?"
"Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Location: Zaad Ziener; Captivant's Room
Sitting with his leg crossed along a giant sack of pillows with all the kids, including Valda at the bottom, Captivant, with a giant plate of food at his side, throws a loaf of bread down towards one of the kids and says, "Good question you asked, now the next one."
A bunch of kids raise their hands, and then one of the kids' stomachs growls, causing Captivant to point at her and say, "Do you have a neat question?"
"Umm. What kind of produce do you guys grow?"
Captivant tilts his eyes to the side of his head, as sweat starts rolling down the top of his head. Pointing to another child, he says, "Question?"
"Oh, what's with that big church in the distance?"
"An excellent question!"
Captivant throws the kid of a loaf to the boy, then says, "You see, it is St. Mika's church, a church single-handedly built by my ancestor Mika. You see, it is a heirloom and one of the greatest churches ever built, something that only one of my ancestors could ever have achieved.
In honour of this great esteem building, I make sure to always appear during service to grace it with my presence, then spend time after each and every gathering to clean it up. My hands always manifest blisters and scars from how deeply I clean them, but it is all worth it to maintain a historical monument of human ingenuity and faith."
Across the room, the kid's eyes look onto Captivant with wonder as Valda stares at him in confusion at the content of his words. Standing up, Captivant grabs another piece of bread and starts eating it as he says, "As a human, giving back to others is the greatest thing you can do."
He quickly devours the loaf, then sits back down and says, "Now next question!"
Valda, raising her hand, says, "Hey Adria-." Captivant glares at her for a moment, and she soon says, "Captivant, would we be able to get some bread to share amongst everyone first. I think some people are hungrier than the rest of us. It would help them a lot if they could just eat."
"I know you don't know many things, Valda and aren't as wise as I, but food is a rather good motivator for heroics. By pushing everyone to their limits, the greatest of questions are birthed from their minds."
Soon the hands start sticking up again, and with a smile, Captivant looks across their faces and says, "Now, who, should, I, pick!"
The door soon opens up, with his big belly and strong arms following him. Captivant's father walks into the room and says, "I can hear the excitement outside, are you all having fu-."
In an instant, Captivant throws all of the food on the large plate forward, allowing it to be caught by all the kids, who quickly start eating the food.
Turning to his father, Captivant says, "Of course, when am I not having fun?"
Staring at all of the children's relieved and happy faces, then staring at Captivant, a few tears come out of his eyes as he says, "I never thought a day like this would come."
Embarrassed, Captivant says, "What do you mean by that!" Then quickly runs forward before jumping up to drop-kick his father.
Grabbing him out of the air, Captivant's father puts him in a headlock and says, "Not in a hundred years."
"Let me go! I give, I give!"
Moving closer to his son's ear, he whispers, "I heard you've been talking rather negatively to your mother, my son?"
Sweat starts to trickle down Captivant's face, and his father says, "Now, everyone, please go downstairs, you'll all be going to your new accommodation starting today."
They all head up and start moving towards the door, but before they leave, Valda says, "Don't you all have something to say?"
She stands in front of them all as they bow their heads towards the Nightfall's, then say, "Thank you so much for helping us."
ΦThose words brought a smile to the eldest man in the room, said, "No problem. Just make sure to contribute to the village in whatever ways you can."
Yet to me, the bowing heads and facing of all the people lined up in front of me just made my head bow in excitement, my flesh fill with pleasure, yet my soul knew what was to come.
-Break-
From that day, all of the kids started integrating themselves into the village and at the side of all of them was the woman my mind and heart had sworn to itself.
I waited each day for her to return to come spend time with me, yet she didn't. No matter how often I stayed in my room wondering how she was, I never saw her, no matter how many days, weeks, or months passed, and consumed by my sadness, I lay in despair each day until.
Picking me up from the ground, my mother slams me back into it, then points at the Divergent brothers, then says, "They're your pets, feed them. I will not have time to remember to."
"Then give me some food to feed them?"
"Go find some from the forest."
"You Bi-."
Pain radiates across my butt cheeks as they remember the force of the spanking they received from my father, bringing my mouth to a close. Standing up, I look at her and say, "Fine."
-Break-
Location: Zaad Ziener: Northern Forest
Φ With a basket gripped in between his fingers, Captivant moves sluggishly around the forest picking up whatever he can before placing it into the basket.
He body forces on the task, yet his mind strays as his mouth moves. "Why isn't she coming to see me? Aren't we the greatest of partners, the bestest of friends, maybe, possible lovers? Why would she abandon and throw that all away for no reason? Maybe she found another partner? Or what if she had a lover in the group of kids? Does that mean I gave food to one of the love rivals? Was he laughing the entire time while I was talking about him? THAT BASTARD!"
Feeling a pinch at his side, Captivant turns his head, and there he sees a large worm-like creature made of trees that has a burning flame within it that courses around.
He starts to shake as he shouts, "ARGHHHH!" Before taking off.
Φ What the hell, that is a man-eating plant! The windmills should be killing off all man-eating parasites? How did one even get in here? There have been strong winds over the last few weeks; maybe they diverted some of the windmills' dust away. But that isn't even the problem; the problem is that something bigger than my house is trying to eat my body!
Turning my head, I stare at the ferocious monster that dashes towards me at full speed, and the tears accelerate as my speed increases.
Dammit, I knew I should have gotten my mother to fund my Spirit Arts training, because right now I am going to get eaten alive. No, I can't let that happen, I need to keep moving, keep running, and eventually I will escape, eventually I will become a great hero who can best anything like this, no matter the time of day!
In a moment, the entire world around me goes still, as my body falls forward, losing its balance. Turning my head, I see my foot caught on a branch, and an instant later, my body crashes against the floor, forcing my body to look up towards the creature.
I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'M DEAD!
NO! I can't die, I am Captivant Nightfall, I have so much to live for, I have so much to do, I have so much to experience, I have so much to read about, I have so many people to meet, I have so much more I love you's I need to say to Valda. Please, no, someone, anyone, "SAVE ME!"
"Drachenkämpfer Battle Arts; Twin Pressure."
In an instant, the flaming parasite within the trees burns right out of its flesh, forcing blood and flames to blow everywhere in the area as the corpses eventually fall apart. Then, landing on its head, a young boy around my age with a dirty cape on his body and a worn-out sword in his hand, lifts his arm up and waves at me, saying, "Are you okay, princess?"
"I AM NOT A PRINCESS!"
The boy cowers back for a moment before saying, "Sorry, I thought I heard a girlish yell."
Feeling my face burn up, I say, "Well, you heard wrong. Maybe you should check if your ears work, you fool!"
Jumping down in front of me, he slams his sword into the ground, then shouts, "SORRY!"
He has a rather elegant way to prostrate himself, as if he has been forced to do this quite a lot. Kind of makes me want to step on his head. Still, if he can do that to such a monster, it probably isn't wis-.
He throws me his cloak, revealing a ragged tunic and pants on his body. Grabbing it, I say, "What's this for?"
"You're pants."
Looking down at my solid pants, I quickly wrap the cloak around myself and say, "FORGET THAT N-."
But to my shock, the boy lies passed out on the ground, and soon a rumble roars out from his stomach.
"Is he hungry?"
Putting my hands against my forehead, I say, "This is it! I can use this, can't I!"
Picking him up and throwing him over my shoulder, I say, "You'd better remember who your saviour is when you wake up! Now let's return home!"