"huh?" The three of them, upon hearing the name, reacted the same way – completely bewildered.
"What is he doing here?" Makari said.
"That fucking man..." Saugrar snarled. His hand was twitching vigorously.
Sayda remained bewildered. That name... it felt so familiar – but where, and when? Damn it, my mind isn't working right now. Wait... I'm sure I've seen that name before. A memory began to flicker in his mind...
***
A piece of paper with old writing on it is floating in the air.
You Have Got The 4 Main Missions to Complete.
• Find and Meet Elowen
"Elowen... Like the names of people..."
***
That's right... Elowen. I remember now – the name tied to the mission I have to complete. My first objective... I have to find him. But how? I'm not even sure I can make it out of here alive... not if the man standing in front of me gets in my way.
"Saugrar, what should we do now?" Soren asked. "People had already begun gathering in the city, their voices rising in chaos at the news of Elowen's arrival."
"Damn it, Elowen, why did you have to come at this time?" Saugrar muttered. "Soren, calm them all down. I'll handle this first. Don't worry–it won't take long."
"Yes, sir." Soren responded.
Amid the chaos outside the house, a man's voice rang out, calling Soren from a distance.
"Soren, you have to come over here right away! The crowd has already started throwing stones."
"Shit."
Soren then started to move towards the crowd, his eyes darting about as he tried to size things up. Saugrar turned his gaze back to Sayda. Suddenly, his right hand began to change – grey fur spread across it as his claws grew longer.
"I don't have time to waste on you anymore. This will be over quickly... farewell, cursed human."
Sayda's eyes widened, and sweat began to form on his brow. Seeing this, Makari lowered his head and bit his lip, knowing that death was imminent – the boy was going to die. With a swift movement, Saugrar retracted his right hand and thrust it directly at Sayda's neck, intending to end his life instantly. But...
"Saugrar!" Sayda's voice cracked.
He stopped just inches from Sayda's neck.
"Let me meet Elowen!"
"What?" Saugrar's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"I want to see Elowen–"
"You don't have the right to order me–"
"And I swear... I'll disappear from this place."
Saugrar yanked Sayda's shirt with greater force, shoving him upwards.
"Don't even think about it!"
"Saugrar! Let him meet Elowen." Makari said.
Saugrar's eyes widened.
"What?" Saugrar snarled.
"For now, he is not our threat, Saugrar. He's not even worthy of being killed right now."
"Why are you trying to save him so bad? Are you his ally?"
"You can kill him if he ever becomes a threat to us. But for now, I don't think he deserves to die – and there's no need for you to get your hands dirty. Let him meet Elowen, then drive them both away."
Saugrar's expression changed, as though he was weighing his options – kill him, or let him live. He clenched his jaw and bit his lip.
"Saugrar, you're running out of time. The crowd is becoming unmanageable – you need to act quickly." Makari said.
"Damn it."
Saugrar let go of Sayda's shirt. His claws slowly withdrew, while the grey fur receded back into his flesh. Sayda finally caught his breath, wiping the blood from his face with the back of his hand.
Saugrar looked down and picked up his sword. The instant his fingers wrapped around it, his hand trembled violently. He gritted his teeth, struggling to suppress the feeling. From behind, Sayda saw Saugrar trembling, and a wave of guilt began to overwhelm him.
"Saugrar..." Sayda tried to communicate with him.
"Don't you dare utter my name with that filthy mouth of yours!" Saugrar yelled.
Sayda lowered his gaze, his grip loosening. Saugrar sheathed his sword at his waist, his expression pale and devoid of emotion.
"I have one final request: set the Eldras free." Sayda said.
Saugrar looked at Makari with a resolute gaze.
"Fine." Makari said.
Makari's hand shifted back into its human form as he rose from Eldras. In an instant, Eldras lunged forward, fixing him with a piercing gaze as a low growl rumbled from his throat.
"Calm down Eldras. We'll get out of here." Said Sayda, as he bent down and stroked the wolf's head.
Growing fed up with Sayda, Saugrar grabbed his shirt, hauled him up, and shoved him forward.
"Don't waste my time – walk. Now. Or I'll change my mind."
"I know." Sayda said.
"Makari led him and make sure he doesn't run away." Saugrar ordered.
"Yes, sir." Makari responded.
Without waiting any longer, Saugrar walked out of the house. Meanwhile, Makari grabbed Sayda by the arm and led him along, with Eldras faithfully following at his side.
"I can walk at my own."
"Shut up."
Sayda snorted. He stepped outside. The bright sunlight hit his face, forcing his eyes to squint and make him stopped at the front door, but he tried to see anyway. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he finally took in the scene before him – chaos. People were running towards a single direction, their voices blending into deafening noise, too loud to make out what they were saying.
Makari then propelled him forward.
"Walk!"
He moved forward, following the flow of the crowd. His gaze swept from side to side, taking in their face – from children to the elderly. Yet they all wore the same expression–anger, resentment, and disgust.
For a moment, a question began to form in his mind – who is Elowen? Why does everyone, even the youngest among them, look at him with such hatred? And... is it really right decision for me to meet him?
He gazed ahead. Roughly 200 meters away, a massive crowd had gathered around a lone figure. Is that... Elowen?
He quickened his pace, eager to see who the person in the crowd was. As he drew closer, their voices grew louder, and their words became unmistakably clear.
"Go die, Elowen!"
"Get him out of here!"
"Go to hell with your chosen people!"
They were furious. As he pushed closer through the crowd. Sayda saw some people throwing stones, but not long after, someone stepped in and tried to stop them. He moved closer, yet like Elowen himself, he still couldn't see him clearly – the crowd was too large and too chaotic.
A few meters ahead, Saugrar approached the crowd – when suddenly, a man shouted.
"There he is... The Lone has come!"
For a brief while, all attention was directed towards Saugrar, and his name was soon met with enthusiastic cheers that reverberated throughout the vicinity.
The crowd parted, making way for Saugrar. Behind him, Sayda followed, led by Makari, with Eldras at his side. When they reached the very front, he finally saw clearly... Was this Elowen?
In the center stood a man, kneeling with his forehead pressed against the ground. He wore a robe that looked old and worn, and at his side hung a sword wrapped in ragged cloth, bound to his waist. He did not move. Even as stones were thrown at him, he refused to fall, though it was clear from the way his hands clenched that he was enduring the pain.
Sayda was stunned, unable to speak. Could this really be Elowen? It had never occurred to him that the person he needed to find – the person who was one of the objectives of his mission; was now bowing down in front of everyone, being insulted and pelted with stones, and hated by all. I'm so confused... Is that really him? What the hell happened?
A boy threw a stone – its impact landing with a dull thud against his back. Saugrar raised his hand, and for a moment, everyone stopped throwing stones. He walked alone to the center, stopping right in front of Elowen, who was kneeling on the ground. He looked down at him with contempt.
"Stop apologizing. It's obvious it's nothing but lies – there's no need for you to pretend anymore... Get up. You're defiling this sacred ground."
Elowen didn't move an inch. The sight of him made Saugrar sick with disgust. Saugrar grabbed his robe, yanked him to his feet, and shoved him backward.
"Saugrar, you..." Elowen said.
Saugrar's face twisted, veins bulging on his forehead, and his hands clenched tightly. Instantly, he grabbed his robe and yanked him roughly, bringing them face to face at a dangerously close distance.
"Don't you ever dare speak my name with that filthy mouth of yours... Vile creature."
Elowen's eyes widened, his expression showed a feeling that could not be put into words. Saugrar then, pushed him backward.
"Makari, bring the guy here."
"There you go." Makari said as he pushed Sayda forward and instantly, Sayda became the center of attention. People started spreading rumours about him.
"Hey look at him, do you know that guy?" Someone said and quickly his name became the word on everyone's lips.
"Over there's the chap everyone's been talking about – the thief!"
"Don't tell me he's pure human too?"
Sayda looked around, and every face he saw was filled with hatred. Elowen's eyes widened as he saw Sayda in front of him, stunned. He lifted his hand slightly, his lips parting as though to speak, but the words never came.
Sayda froze in front of the crowd, facing the person he had been searching for; now standing right before him. He was dumbfounded, unsure what to do.
"Y...you... Elowen?" The words escaped his lips.
A smile appeared on Elowen's face. His eyes were glassy.
"Is that you... Sayda?"
He started walking, and with every step, he quickened his pace. The closer he got to Sayda, the more his hands opened as if to hug him. Sayda's face remained dazed, completely still.
Just as he was about to approach, a pebble struck him in the forehead, knocking Elowen back.
Sayda's expression shifted, his eyes slowly widened. He turned, trying to find who had thrown the stone – but before he could, another rock slammed into his eyebrow. A low groan escape him as he instinctively shut one eye trying to endure the pain. Eldras, beside him, let out a furious bark at the crowd.
Suddenly, a voice rose from the crowd.
"Erase all the world's problems... slaughter the pure humans!"
In an instant, the place erupted into chaos. The worry of seeing Sayda was clearly displayed on Elowen's face. Instantly, he turned towards Saugrar.
"Saugrar, stop your people from attacking further."
"Their anger is beyond my control. After all, isn't this the seed of hatred that you planted?" Saugrar said. "Get lost, or something worse might happen."
Elowen looked disappointed as he clenched his hand. Without warning, he seized Sayda's hand, the boy still dazed and wincing in pain.
"Let's go, Sayda."
"W... Wait, hold on."
Sayda tried to pull his hand away from Elowen's grip, but his hold was too strong, as if he didn't want to let him go again. The wolf followed him from behind, as if reluctant to leave his side.
"Good, kept your promise kid. Disappear, and if I see you again, I won't hesitate to end your life." Saugrar said. His voice lagged behind as they already walked ahead.
Sayda tried to look back, and unintentionally, a few pebbles flew past them. He also tried to see behind, even though it felt as if Elowen was dragging him, but what he saw were faces filled with disgust, accompanied by shout of hatred and cursed.
***
Several minutes had passed, and they had already walked a few hundred metres out of the hidden city. Yet, Elowen still did not release Sayda's hand. The only sounds in the quiet were the crunch of their footsteps on the ground, mingled with the snapping of twigs and rustling of dry leaves.
Walking through the forest, sunlight rarely pierced down to the forest floor, and birds chirped softly in the distance. The atmosphere was silent and awkward. Sayda's eyes were fixed on the ground, as if unable to let go of what had just happened.
Suddenly, in the silence, Sayda slammed his hands down, breaking free from Elowen's grip. Their steps came to a halt. Immediately Sayda's expression was twisted with anger and eyebrows furrowed sharply.
"Stop grabbing my hand!" Sayda snarled. "Who the hell are you... Really."
Elowen looked toward Sayda, his eyes void of expression. He did not answer his question, the atmosphere silence was palpable. Sayda clenched his jaw.
"I said... who the hell are you, and how do you even know my name?"
All of a sudden, Elowen wrapped his arm around Sayda, and Sayda froze, unable to move. Elowen closed his eyes tightly, clutching Sayda's shirt as his voice quivered with a mix of relief and fear.
"There's... so much I need to tell you."
An odd feeling filled the air. No sooner had Sayda taken a step back as he shoved Elowen away from him.
"What the–"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion ripped through the air, like meteor crashing onto the earth. Both of them instinctively ducked, while Eldras crouched, ears covered, every strand of fur on his body standing on end in shock.
Moments later, a powerful wave of dust-filled wind surged from behind, crashing into them at incredible speed. For a brief instant, none of them could even open their eyes. Sayda, on the verge of being blown away, struggled with all his strength to stay grounded, his clothes and hair whipping violently in the opposite direction. Elowen reached out, trying to grasp Sayda's hand, but failed; the force of wind was too overwhelming.
Eldras dug his claws deep into the ground. The trees bent violently against the gale, leaves tearing free and scattering into the air, while branches snapped and were flung away with the raging current.
After a moment, the violent gust began to fade. Eldras's barking could be heard as Sayda slowly tried to open his eyes, struggling to see what had just happened. Then, in an instant, his eyes widened; before him rose a massive plume of swirling dust and wind reaching up into the sky, exactly where they had been moments ago. The cloud was coming from the heart of the city – the very place where the crowd gathered.
"What had just happened?" He asked, his voice laced with concern. Elowen's voice cut through the moment, and Sayda turned to see him; his eyes widened, almost in disbelief.
"S... Something. No, they have arrived." Elowen said, trembled.
Sayda's breath caught in his throat.
"Who?"
"...Kaelar's Army."