"
The demons in the carts and the children peeked over, seeing a huge settlement beyond the swaying tall yellow grass, with a lake that glistened like the stars in the sky.
"
Words of relief passed around as Fren's gaze stayed locked on Jala. She peeked at the horizon of the town they encroached. As she did, an anxiety built up. She tightened her grasp on her undead Sister Tellan and clutched her chest.
"
"
Time, as slow as it felt, seemed to only quicken with every waking second for Fren as she throbbed with every step they took. And before she realized it, they stopped.
Jala held his hands out, stopping her.
Murmurs erupted through the caravan of demons as they wondered what was happening. From the corner of Fren's eye, Lucius, along with Lillian, stepped up to the front, conjuring a platform of earth that he and Lillian stood on. Taking advantage of the silence, he spoke.
As he spoke, each word felt distant, irrelevant, and like a complete distraction. They were words Fren understood, but chose not to comprehend. To her, it was just another useless mess of information that didn't serve her desire.
"Fren?" Jala's voice, suddenly cut through the noise brought back to reality Lucius's words came to life.
""
The Demons around erupted into murmurs and indistinct chatter, shocked by the offer.
"
"
Fren watched as her undead sister joined the growing group of undead women.
"The rest of you can head to Kasak without us. We'll meet you all there once we're done.>" Lucius said.
Without another word, both Lucius and Lillian entered the crowd of undead.
"T…Tellan… T-tellan!"
Tellan, with her expressionless face, glanced back at Fren. Her hazed eyes then drifted back along with the crowds, becoming another face in the small army of undead.
The thought to follow crossed her mind, but despite this, she found herself glued to where she stood.
Not long after, several kids, including Fayelynn, manage to rush into the field following the undead women that march.
"
Fren's hands shook as she looked at her sister, unsure.
"
"
"< Alright, let's keep moving!>" Kisik shouted. "
********
Fren, Downcast, looked at her palm. She sat just outside the town, lost and confused. "
Glancing up, she watched as the adult and Jala unloaded the carts and the children ate. It was an unprecedented peace among everyone. Terk and Grelon, however, will only be more distant. Unwilling to mingle in the conversations or offer assistance. All the while, the current residents watched them with deep curiosity.
Distant memories resurface within Fren—those of her sister, Tellan, Jala, and his brother, Jafkal.
********
"
Jafkal stood tall, his red skin, blue eyes, and short white hair contrasting with Jala's outwardly loose look.
A young Jala, exhausted, sitting outside their town wall, exhaled. "
"
With a growing irritation, Jala turned his face. "
"
Fren is watching Giggle at the exchange.
"
"
"
Tellan and Jafkal await her response as Jala looks at her more pensively.
Fidgeting with her fingers, Fren finally answers shyly. "
Jala huffed. "
"
Suddenly, Tellan grabbed Fren by the hand and dragged her back to the town gate. "
********
Fren still remembers those moments of warmth from those days, memories so long ago, still felt years later. AS her mind cleared from her thoughts, she noticed Jala's absence. In a panic, she stood and scanned the area.
She frantically panned to Terk and darted his way.
Terk raised his brow, watching as Fren darted his way. "Hmm?"
"T-t-t-erk.Have you seen where Jala went?>"
Terk rolled his eyes. "
Without another word, Fren dashed past Terk and left him watching as he rubbed the back of his head, unable to understand her.
Arriving at the home, Fren slowly opened the door and peeked in.
"
POW
Fren jumped. And to her shock, Kisik and his brother, Kasak, had exchanged a single blow to each other. Their fists locked to their jaws, leaving everyone in attendance aghast.
Kasak, unlike his brother, Kisik, had muscles that rivaled even Jala's with a hint of irritation. E wrestled to one-up Kisik in a match of pure strength.
Lillian, still in a state of shock, mustered out her words. "Th-they were so chummy just a few seconds ago…"
Jala turned face. "I'll wait outside-
Lucius, along with Lillian, glanced back, spotting Fren peeking in.
"
Fren obeyed, slowly creeping inside the cozy home. She squeezed her hand, half expecting Tellan's presence. Only to be reminded of her newly found absence.
With Jala in sight, she quickly stood at his side, practically rubbing against him.
"Fren?" Jala quickly pushed his thoughts aside, turning back to the ongoing wrestling match.
Neither gave in, as each tried to get their opponent's fists to the face.
"
"
Kasak prepared his other fist and punched Kisik in the gut, knocking the wind from him. Kisik reeled over, belching from the blow.
"
Like a switch that flipped, Kasak's demeanor changed to that of a doting grandfather. "
The jarring shift in tone took everyone off guard.
Wanting to progress the conversation, Lucius cleared his throat. "
"
Kasak pondered, looking at the group of demons in front of him. ""
"
Curious Kisik raised his brow. "
"
"
"
Seconds later, Kasak grabbed Kisik by the ear. "
Kisik punched Kasak, initiating a new brawl between brothers with neither giving an inch. Kicks and punches flew through the air with neither giving an inch.
Fren could only watch on, dumbfounded by the aggressive behavior of the two old men, with each move being more petty than the last.
"
Fren, flushed and fidgeted. Mustering all the courage she had, she looked at Jala with wide eyes, pleading for his attention. Jala caught a glimpse, and as the final left the home, Jala spoke.
"
She stiffened, noticing Jala begin to distance himself. "
Jala stopped, unsure. Lillian then pressed on his shoulder and exchanged a look that told him to go.
"
Fren brightened up, and with her newfound confidence, she took Jala by the hand, dragging him along and away from Lillian and Lucius. They pushed through crowds and left the perimeter of the towns, entering the extensive, vast plains where many of the children, both from their descent and the town of Kasak's, played.
They looked over the horizon of playful children, but as Fren turned to face Jala, her mind became blank. A mess of gobbled words filled her mind. There was so much on her mind, but so little time.
"
"
Jala raised a brow at the flustered Fren. Slowly, she calmed and became silent as she constructed the words she wanted to say.
"
Jala exhaled quietly. He fished within his robes, pulling the necklace Fren had once returned to him.
Staying silent, and placed the necklace around Fren's neck. She flushed hard, looking at the gift in surprise. Just as a smile began to form, Jala gave his answer.
"
Fren Froze, unsure if she heard him correctly. She looks up at him, seeing him wear an unreadable expression.
"
"
"
"
"
With a more serious demeanor, Jala darted his eyes at Fren."
"
Jala, seeing Fren tear up, with a pained expression. He turned away, unsure what to do, and as he did, he caught sight of Jasaf and a group of boys posing and manifesting small inkings of magic to shoot at the harmless slimes. Their plans failed as they stood unable to utilize the magic they carried.
With a new idea sparked, Jala took Fren's hand and lifted it.
"
"" Jala said. Using his own hand, he manifested a cube of ice. He then built upon it, transforming it into a sphere.
"
"
Fren inhaled and tried her best to conjure a small bubble of water. Unfortunately, it popped within seconds of being conjured into existence.
Fren looked on, disappointed in her ability.
"
"Huh?
"
Fren followed his command, re-conjuring the ball of water.
"
She obeyed. Seconds later, the water ball exploded again, but this time, the water felt colder, surprising Fren.
"
A subtle smile returned to Fren as she once again tried and failed. Each ball of water exploded after another, slowly becoming cooler than the last. Eventually, the training Fren garnered the attention of some of the children.
Slowly, one by one, the kids surrounded Jala and Fren, watching as the explosion of water became more solid than the last. After trying again and again, Fren finally managed to freeze over the water into a ball of ice.
The kids marveled at the uneven sphere of water. Some were awed, while others complained, wanting the ice ball to explode again.
Jala, hearing the children's voices, took Fren's hand.
"
He placed his hands on the ball, and in an instant, the ball of ice exploded into thousands of tiny flakes in the sky, fluttering about in the air and over the kids.
With widened eyes and pure excitement, the kids chased the falling flakes, leaving even Fren amazed.
"
"
Jala and Fren continued to watch as the snow continued to fall.
"
Fren looked back at Jala, surprised. A memory of their first time on the snowy surface re-emerged, accompanied by the visage of Jala, along with Tellan looking up at the snowy sky as Jafkal attempted to eat the snow.
Fren, with this memory in mind, clenched her hand to her chest. "
"
Jala glanced back, seeing Lillian, Lucius, and the karnal demon, Cive, prepared alongside the road in a cart.
Fren looked down, disappointed. "
"
A deepening pain welled within Fren as she watched with the children surrounding her as Jala departed. No further words, no embrace. Just the knowledge of the only thing he had created in their cruel world.
"
********
Jala hopped on board the cart and immediately sat himself against the wall.
"Do you want to say goodbye to those other men before we set off?" Lillian asked.
"No. They wouldn't care to listen anyway…" Jala then turned to Lucius. "And I'm assuming the kids have been given a new guardian."
"Yeah. Half of them are being adopted into Kasak residents, while some of the bremwall's will look after the others." Lucius then sat himself across from Jala. "How unlike you, to care."
"
Cive nodded and whipped the reins with a chartered course to Oar's.
********
Fayelynn, pulled gently by the hand, looked over many of the freshly dug graves, eventually stopping on the graves of her father and mother.
"
Fayelynn glanced back up at Mishti. She dug a skull-like artifact for her bosom, placing it on Kajd's Gave sight.
"
"
" " " " " Mishti continued. " From the skull artifact, placed on the grave, a black flower bloomed with a hole that widened, delivering a message.
" ********
Kalika gasped awake. She grasped the slide of her head tightly, gasping and wheezing. Her breathing shuddered.
"S-stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! Stop it!!"
Tears welled in her eyes as her head felt as if it would explode. "II-it's not real! I-it's all fake! S-stupid Dream! Stop it!!"