[365 PD]:

  ?When did dark days became so long? ?

  Shoku was starting to get really bored all alone in his room. Ever since he came to Bloux, two years ago, dark days had become eerie for him. Back in Ezoul, these moonless days were quiet and uneventful since everyone would stay inside their houses.

  Shoku would sit next to the fireplace while the old ladies counted him old legends. He liked the cozy vibes of these moments. It was as if the whole world stopped around him.

  But here the world couldn’t care less. Outside, he could still hear footsteps on the pavements and snippets of conversations. The people of Bloux didn’t let the absence of the moon bother them since they already had the light of the New Hope.

  The first time it had happened, the poor boy thought that demons had crawled out of the ground and were roaming the streets in search of victims. This naive thought was way simpler than the reality.

  The reality was that people didn’t cease to exist the moment the moon wasn’t there.

  The reality was that what he had been taught at a young age wasn’t true.

  Despite that, he was still too scared to go out. Maybe he wouldn’t get vaporized from the surface of the Earth if he went out now. But no one would be watching over him. If he decided to go to work at the mines, he would be in his usual small corners where no one was looking. Even if he worked hard there, there would be no one to acknowledge said hard work. Wasn’t that the same as not existing?

  Just then the outside voices grew louder. Shoku approached the shutters on his wall and put an ear on them to try to hear better.

  A whole commotion was happening just next to his house, yet he could only make out some muffled words:

  “...is he really...”

  “He...fire...is”

  “Why...here?”

  The noises started moving away from his house and soon enough silence took its spot back. The boy was slightly confused but shrugged it off.

  ?Probably just a minor incident?

  The boy walked back to his bed and jumped on it. He bounced on his fresh mushroom mattress and closed his eyes. For now, he just wanted to sleep and make this day go faster.

  .

  .

  .

  The next day, when Shoku stepped outside his feet sunk into a good 5 centimeters of snow (2 inches). He really hated being in the middle of the cold season as those months were the coldest. His thick, brown fur jacket wasn’t enough to keep him decently warm. The boy shoved his hands into his pockets and hurried toward the mine.

  The dark sky was cloudy, yet he could make out the shy form of a new moon behind them; the Gazer had just started to wake up. He would need to wait for the middle of the month before she would fully awaken.

  From his house, the walk to the mines was quite short. The mine was at the very east of the town, completely out of the church of light’s glow. Miners had to use the blue lanterns made from great caps spores just to see in front of them. But in the middle of the cold season these spores were scarce, and activity had to slow down.

  Shoku reached the gaping entrance of the main mines which plunged straight down. Large wooden stairs helped the miners descend into its depths. The boy had yet to go down this hole; he only needed to take care of a smaller entrance which had been abandoned a few years ago due to the sudden abundance of fuse-shrooms in it.

  At this early hour, the miners were still at the surface to check their equipment and organize themselves. They had to form groups of up to ten people, each with a singular lamp carrier.

  What was different today was a tall pyramid-shaped structure made of wood. Around it two men were dumping coal at its center. The men looked around 20 years old and were dressed in dark, rough leather clothes. No matter how much the boy stared at them, he couldn’t recognize them from anywhere.

  Just then, Shoku felt a large hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see a tall miner. His high pilosity and broad build gave away his belonging to the sasquatch race.

  Shoku had never gotten his name, but he was one of the few people who could be considered a friendly acquaintance of his dad.

  “Don’t look at these guys, little guy.”

  The burly man pushed Shoku forward, away from the strange individuals.

  “Who are they?” asked the boy.

  “Ah yeah, you weren’t there.” the man sneaked a glance backward “Yesterday, a dozen of shady guys came here. The craziest thing is that their gang leader is a Vay Vay Bhon.”

  Shoku eyes went round. A Vay Vay Bhon? What could a member of the most influential magical noble family be doing in this secluded town? Shoku had heard so many stories about them: A whole clan of magic users with flamboyant red hair and chilling blue eyes. They were the ones referred to as divine way before the lightbringers came. In the past They would use their signature fire magic to help the people around them.

  He even learned at the church that one of them was a hero who fought side by side with Mother Sallith in order to kill the demon king who terrorized the realm during the dark ages.

  After the lightbringer took over, they abandoned their divine status and instead became the ones ruling this region.

  Suddenly, all discussions stopped. All the miners turned backward with a tense face.

  Shoku followed their gazes to see a group of around 5 people approaching. They were wearing the same dark leather clothing as the ones around the pyramid and looked just as young.

  But one of them stood out from the rest. He was walking right in front of them with long, confident strides. Unlike the others, he was wearing a long gray coat which stopped past his knees. The coat was made from refined material and was expertly crafted. His long sleeves covered his gloved hands almost entirely.

  The man was well groomed; his face was smooth of any wild hair or pimples. His eyes of a profound blue were darting between faces with amusement. The only thing that threw off shoku was his long black hair tied into a simple ponytail.

  ?aren't they supposed to be red? ? He thought.

  The group stopped in front of the miners and their leader stepped forward with a wide smile.

  "How admirable! I couldn't imagine myself working this early in such terrible weather and yet here you are brave men."

  The miners looked at each others a bit confused.

  The black-haired man continued:

  "It truly pains me to see you in such state." He turned to the church of light while shaking his head. "It really is sad that this light cannot reach you nor warm you here."

  "The divine light has limitations." He turned back toward the group of miners with an intense stare. "Hence why I am here to help you out."

  "How so?" Hesitantly asked a minor.

  The young noble snapped his fingers with a chuckle.

  Immediately, the men around him parted and the ones near the wooden structure hurried away from it.

  In a grand gesture he aimed at the structure and a flash of orange escaped his hands. In an instant the wood burst into flames with a loud roar.

  The miners flinched at the sight, and Shoku stayed petrified by the display of power.

  The noble went to stand in front of his work with open arms. "I Vay Vay Bhon Hector promise to share my own light with you."

  The miners stayed huddled together. They whispered and looked at the tall fire with fear in their eyes. That wasn't how they normally used fire.

  Hector stepped toward a short but stocky miner and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. With a smile, he guided the terrified miners toward the fire.

  "Tell me, isn't it warm? Can you feel the flames chase the horrible frost out of your body, soothing it?"

  The miners put his hands closer to the fire with a dry gulp. Slowly, he started nodding.

  Hector laughed and looked back at the others. "See? There's nothing to fear as long as it is controlled by me."

  One of the men with the noble; a tall guy with super short hair and a long scar running from his chin to his left ear, came closer. He was holding a lantern which was glowing dimly.

  He got next to his leader and poured out the fading blue spores. The action elicited a few gasps from the crowd.

  Hector immediately puts his hands up to calm the noise.

  He grabbed the lantern and with a wave of his hand lit it up with fire.

  The magic user stepped closer, holding the light high for everyone to see. He got right in front of Shoku and handed it over to him.

  Shoku took it without a question. When the fire warmed his face, his heart drowned in a feeling of nostalgia. The white light of the New Hope was way more intense and flashing, but fire light just felt calmer to look at.

  Hector smirked at his reaction "You seem like someone who knows his stuff, my friend."

  "I can give a lantern to everyone here. You no longer need to stay grouped together. No more aching hands because of the cold. No more problems."

  The tall sasquatch miner cleared his throat. "Hum...I don't know about that. I mean, walking around with fire in mines where there are fuse-shrooms and potential gasses floating around doesn't sound great to me.

  The other miners nodded to each others. That thing felt like a work hazard.

  Hector gasped loudly and clenched his hands around his heart. In front of the incredulous eyes of the crowd he fell backward, getting caught just in time by the short haired man behind him.

  "How saddening." In a dramatic fashion, he put an arm over his face. "I can't believe you believe that I would put your lives in dangers."

  He quickly stood back up and stomped forward, stopping in front of the startled miner.

  "Do you doubt the sacred flame of my family? This flame which was passed and nurtured from generation to generation. This flame who once helped your grandparents live? Do you truly believe that this flame could ever harm you?

  The miner was completely taken aback and could only mutter a small no.

  Hector smiled and sighed in relief. "Good, very good. Thank you for your trust."

  By then the men in dark clothing had gathered all extinguished lanterns that were lying around and brought them to their leader.

  Slowly at first, the miners started getting closer to the noble, each getting a bright lantern for the day. They were hesitant at first, but they couldn’t lie and say that spore light was doing well right now.

  Soon enough a long line had formed in front of the entrance of the mine. As soon as a miner got his light, he would descend into the depths of the earth without looking back.

  When Shoku tried to get into the smaller entrance of the mines where he worked at, he noticed the same guy with a scar blocking it.

  The boy approached the man who immediately glared at him.

  “This part is closed.”

  Shoku got confused. Why would this be closed? He worked there just two days ago, and it was the most boring place ever. All of the juicy ores were far deeper than this pitiful hole. The only things in there were some exhausted coal veins and the ever-spreading fuse-shroom mold.

  “But I work there.” said the child.

  “couldn’t care less.”

  “But I need to work to help my father, he’s all alone to take care of me.”

  The man arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

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  “Really!”

  “Well, who am I to stop such a good kid. I guess I should let you in.”

  “Really?”

  “No. Get lost, midget.”

  Shoku stayed silent and looked at the man with eyes full of betrayal.

  “The noble of this town accepted to give Hector some power over these mines.” the man leaned closer to the boy. “So, he’s your boss too. Do you want to be fired?”

  Shoku felt his heart drop. Fired, already? He hadn't even started actually mining.

  With a sigh, the boy stepped back and walked away. He could hear the man chuckle behind him.

  So now, the boy was simply walking in the streets aimlessly, kicking the snow beneath his feet. On one hand, he felt a bit shameful since he couldn’t help his father. On the other hand, he was very happy to not have to scrub stone walls all day long.

  His feet carried him to the town center. There, the merchants were working on getting rid of the snow blanket covering the place. There was even a man sweeping the snow off the stairs of the church.

  Shoku saw a small group of kids talking not too far from the church. He recognized Solane who was with King and his two usual followers; a scrawny guy and another with black hair.

  The king of the children was as tall and imposing as always. At this point he could pass for a grown man, and no one would doubt it. He was wearing a dark grey button up shirt with short sleeves and simple black pants. The snow didn’t seem to faze him even a little.

  Solane hadn’t gotten taller but her brown hair which was now tied in a bun atop her head made her look bigger. The only noticeable differences were her dark blue dress and her arms which had thickened and were honestly bigger than the ones of Shoku.

  ‘Baker strength’ was the only thing she said every time someone pointed that out.

  Shoku didn’t feel like interrupting them. Especially because King would probably try to crush his skull on the spot.

  The small boy tried to sneak past them but overheard Solane.

  “...I could ask my parents to try to make a spot for you at home since...”

  Wait wait wait. What?

  Shoku walked straight to them without any fear left in him.

  “What is happening here?”

  King’s face darkened and his followers tensed up when they saw the boy approach. Solane waved at him as greeting.

  “King is saying that he doesn’t want to sleep in his house because his father allowed a whole bunch of people to stay in it. But his friends don’t have any spot for him.”

  She tilted her head as she thought. “Maybe I could squeeze him in the back.”

  Shoku deeply hated everything about King. But letting HIM sleep in the same house as HER!?

  He was ready to sacrifice himself just to stop that.

  “Well, there’s only me and my father in my house so...”

  He could see King’s face slowly lose its icy composure the more he talked. The two boys behind the titans were shaking their heads in panic, begging him to stop.

  “...it has enough space for another person.”

  Solane jumped in joy. “That’s amazing!” She went up to King and patted his arm. “You didn’t tell me both of you were starting to get along.”

  “...” King simply looked at Shoku without a word as if he was trying to figure out the best way to dispose of a body.

  “Anyway, my parents will need help for the morning sells, have fun!”

  The girl happily skipped away, leaving Shoku to face a certain death at the hands of the abominable giant.

  King stepped closer, his eyes looked like they were about to bulge out, trying to hold back all the rage under them.

  “Dude, let it go.” intervened the black-haired boy. “He’s younger than us, he’s probably too dumb to understand anything.”

  King stopped and lifted a hand to his face. “...” Hopefully for the smaller boy, his composure came back and he shot his usual cold glare at him. “Being in your dump will still better than seeing father lick the boots of this sly bastard.”

  “Lead the way.”

  ?It worked? ?

  In a blink Shoku was now in front of his house with the giant by his side. The two other boys had stayed behind, leaving them alone together.

  Shoku shakily pushed the door opened and stepped into the house.

  King kicked the snow off his feet at the entrance before following suit. Judging from his expression, he wasn’t very impressed by the interior.

  “Where do I sleep?”

  That was a very good question. Shoku hadn’t thought this far; he just wanted King away from Solane’s house. Where could he fit the big guy?

  “My room is pretty big and empty, I'm sure we can work something out.”

  “You think that I want to sleep in the same room as you?”

  “I’m not too exited either, you know?”

  King glared at him. “Then why did you propose your help?” He stepped closer to the smaller boy. “You did it on purpose just to piss me off, huh?”

  Shoku backed up. “No, of course not. I mean, you wouldn’t want to disturb the bakers when they’re working, right?”

  The big guy gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that Shoku swore he just heard his knuckles crack. King had always been an easily irritated guy but recently his rage felt more explosive.

  The giant stopped himself and forced his cool expression back on his face. “Just show me the room.”

  Shoku gulped and obliged, leading the king into his room. The floorboards creaked under the weight of the new arrival. King looked at the single bed, the few clothes discarded here and there, and the thick beam stabbing the middle of the room.

  “Decorating isn’t a crime.”

  At these words shoku felt heat rush to his face. He knew his room was plain, but he only used it to sleep and nothing else. Most of his time, outside of dark days, was spent at the mine or in the forest with Daria.

  King took a folded blanket which was laying under Shoku’s bed and laid it in the corner, opposite to the bed. He sat on it with his back against the wall.

  “I can sleep on the floor. The cold doesn’t do anything to me.”

  Just then, the shutters parted open, letting in a cold breeze as well as a dark creature.

  Shoku sighed loudly while King simply raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “I have a door, Daria.”

  The girl who now had hair so long and messy, it was falling in front of her eyes stuck out her tongue.

  “I like climbing better.”

  She stopped when she noticed King and even pulled her bangs up to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. She grimaced and looked at Shoku in confusion. The small boy just shrugged in response.

  “Is it usual for your girlfriend to sneak into your room?” Asked King.” If so, I would prefer sleeping elsewhere.”

  “She's not my girlfriend!” blurted out Shoku who was now a tomato.

  Daria laughed loudly and tugged on Shoku’s sleeve. “Sho’s my friend but he’s a bit ugly so I'm not interested.”

  ?Look who’s talking! ? thought the boy in question.

  King snorted, amused. “First time I can agree with you on something.”

  “ANYWAY! What do you want, Daria?” Shoku wanted this situation to end quickly before getting humiliated even more.

  “Just bored.” She flopped on the bed without any care. “I don’t understand why my father doesn’t want me to go into the forest while the weird men can.”

  At her words both boys looked in her direction. Nobody willingly went into the forest at this time of the year. The Biar’s fungi were at the peak of their decomposition; at this stage they were literally labeled as small explosives in books. Both could remember the story told to them about the origin of their name.

  Biar was the name of an old town in Utopia which existed before the lightbringer’s arrival. The people there had little food and survived of mudshrooms alone. One day one of them got desperate and ate a big, white mushroom from the forest. To everyone surprise, the man survived and said that the taste was succulent.

  They saw that as a blessing and started to put that mushroom in all their meals during the warm season.

  They even stocked large amounts of it in their basements and ceilings in preparation for the cold season. This was their first and last mistake.

  At the beginning everything was fine, but the fungi started rotting from the inside without the knowledge of the inhabitants.

  Soon enough, gas started to build up inside of them and by the middle of the cold season the internal pressure had reached its peak. One night while everyone was sleeping, one detonated with a violent sound. The citizens didn’t even have time to wake up before a massive chain reaction followed the first explosion.

  In one singular night, the entire village simply disappeared. When travelers reached it, the only thing they saw was a thick fog of yellow spores. The houses had been leveled and the inhabitants...utterly unrecognizable. The sheer force of the detonations had wiped the flesh clean off their skeletons. They were left as piles of bones marinating in huge red stains.

  After this incident people named the fungus after the town, hence the name Biar’s foolishness. It was strictly forbidden to grow these mushrooms purposely; they could only be foraged during the warm season. Then; they had to be left alone during the cold season. The access to forests where they were known to grow was restricted until they exploded by themselves.

  It was simply stupid to adventure into any forest since they were covered in a thick layer of white snow. And what color are Biar’s? White, obviously, otherwise where would be the fun?

  King got up and approached Daria. “As the son of this town’s noble, I need to know who these people are.” his tone was deep and serious “If one blows up, the blame will fall on my father.”

  “Dunno, they were far away. I only saw them because they had torches.”

  “Torches?” followed the titan. “No commoner uses torches.”

  Shoku thought about the fire lanterns back at the mines but didn’t say anything. He had doubts but speaking against a magical noble wasn’t exactly the best thing to do.

  King sighed loudly and walked back to his corner. Daria now walked up to Shoku and whispered into his ear.

  “You still didn’t tell me why the fat one is here.”

  The small boy whispered back “He doesn’t want to stay at his house, so I decided to lodge him.”

  Daria gasped loudly “Why can HE sleep over but I never can?”

  Shoku flushed a little “well you know, you’re a girl. and well...my father could get wrong ideas and all...”

  Daria stared at him, completely aloof. “But you’re ugly, I don’t see why any girl would-”

  “I GOT IT!”

  .

  .

  .

  A week had passed since the arrival of Hector and his gang in town. Thanks to him, the production at the mine had sky rocketed; the miners seemed almost more productive than during the warm season.

  Shoku still couldn’t work at his usual spot, instead he was now tasked with sorting the extracted resources. This job was honestly worse than scrubbing mold. He needed to be focused all the time so as not to mix anything, and he would finish later than most miners.

  ?What a pain...?

  Shoku was trying to stay awake as he waited in front of the mines for the last batch of ores to be pulled up. The moon was setting in the distance, if it wasn’t for the big fires left by Hector it would be near impossible to see beyond one’s nose.

  Just as he was about to doze off, a loud voice jolted him awake.

  “Het, kiddo!”

  Shoku opened his eyes to see the tall sasquatch miner walking up to him with a serious face.

  “You’re a fast one, aren’t you?”

  The boy nodded

  “Well, I need you to run to the church and get us some bandages then.”

  “Something bad happened?” asked the boy with wide eyes.

  “It’s not that bad. Some of our guys got a bit too comfortable with the new lanterns and burned themselves like idiots.”

  The man chuckled but there was a certain unease in his tone. Shoku simply nodded again and ran in the other direction.

  At this hour, Xenevia was probably about to close the church, and the boy did not feel like bothering her after. It wasn’t because he felt bad for her but mostly because she would make him pay in some sort of way if he made her open after hours.

  Shoku quickly reached the entrance of the holy building but just before he entered it, he heard a voice:

  “Come on, my lady. There is no need to be so tense.”

  Shoku slowly approached the half-opened doors and peeked inside. In there he could see the Sister standing behind her altar like always. Her trusty owl was perched on her shoulder, peering down at the figure standing in front of them.

  Hector was right before the altar, looking up at the woman with a relaxed smile.

  “What I'm asking for is but a tiny, little, microscopic bit of your help.”

  The holy woman grunted. “I don’t know what you are trying to do but you better stop here.”

  Hector put a hand over his chest. “My dear Sister, I do not know what you’re insinuating.”

  “I am only here because I heard about how promising this town was. And, how talented and charming the lightbringer residing there was.”

  The priestess smirked and rubbed her nose with a satisfied expression. “Really, that’s what you heard?”

  “Absolutely! Traveling merchants only remember one thing from here: a fiery, strong willed and radiant looking woman. The emotion in their eyes was undeniable. I just HAD to know what they were talking about.”

  He stepped up one of the stairs leading to the altar. “And when I finally arrived...I realized how much these men were liars.” He took another step up.

  “Liars because they were completely undermining the sheer presence you have.”

  He wiped one of his wet eyes and sniffed. “I had never seen such immaculate light. The lightbringer of my own city of Stalot could never compare to this.”

  Xenevia was chuckling to herself, all giddy like a kid praised for the first time. Shoku had seen many of her emotions and this one was a first. He could even swear that the tips of her ears were turning a bit red.

  “You’re good kid, very good. You know how to talk to a priestess unlike all the brats around here.”

  Hector stepped up again “Right, then you wouldn’t be against-”

  “Hold your horses, sweet talker.” She held a hand up, stopping him from ascending any higher. “You’re very cute but you need to stop this charming little act. You're too young for me anyway.”

  Hector’s smile twitched for just a second. “Well, I may look younger, but I’ve been in this realm for 23 years.”

  The long-eared woman chuckled lowly. “And considering human years, I could be your grandmother.”

  The noble cleared his throat. “Right. I am aware of your holy race’s extended life span. However, I've always had a deep infatuation for women older than me. It started from-”

  “Cut this shit off.” The priestess pointed behind her at the massive statue of Mother Sallith. “If you’re so informed you should know that a relationship between a human and a lightbringer is the most blasphemous act possible.”

  “Indeed, anyone caught doing so will be branded as a heretic and rejected by our society. Nonetheless, other races-”

  “Just stop and leave.” The priestess sighed.

  “My lady, surely-”

  “Leave.”

  Hector seemed to debate with himself before finally exhaling. He stepped down the stairs and bowed quickly.

  “I’ll be on my way then.”

  The noble stormed out of the church. Shoku hid behind the doors just before he could be seen. Still, he managed to get a glimpse of Hector’s face. He was still smiling and yet something dark in his eyes sent a shiver down the boy’s spine.

  Shoku decided to ignore the bad feeling. It wasn’t like Hector could do much against a lightbringer. Yes, he was from a powerful family, but lightbringers were simply at the top of the realm. There was nothing to worry about.

  ...

  Such naive thoughts from a child.

  .

  .

  .

  The next day, Shoku woke up like usual, well almost like usual if we were ignoring the massive guy squatting his room. King was pretty tidy and never really bothered despite his size.

  Shoku’s father even took a liking to him and started comparing the two boys to the greatest displeasure of the smaller boy. His own father was now talking about how great and polite King was.

  Today was a lesson day, which didn’t have Shoku too excited but seeing how King was already gone, it motivated him to pull himself out of bed. He quickly put on some warm clothes and went down the stairs.

  There, his father and King were talking right at the entrance:

  “I’ll be on my way to the church, I should be back before the evening. Sorry for disturbing you in your house once again, sir.” The way King talked was really annoying to Shoku.

  “Don’t worry about that, you aren’t bothering anyone here. As a matter of fact, the house is a bit livelier, my son is usually so quiet.”

  His father’s eyes flicked at the figure of his boy on the stairs.

  “I’ll be on my way too.”

  The man quickly excused himself and walked toward the mines. Shoku felt an odd pinch in his heart at that. Was their relationship really that bad?

  Shoku stepped out of the house and followed behind King who had already left. The smaller boy walked a few steps behind him.

  Since King had started living with him, Shoku noticed that the pilosity of the giant was pretty intense. In a little more than a week, a short beard had formed under his chin, and a shy moustache had manifested under his nose. Whole patches of short fur had even grown on his forearms.

  If he looked like a young adult before, now he could pass for a guy with a wife, 2 kids and a stressful job.

  When the two reached the town center, a large circle had formed in front of the church. This intrigued both and they got closer.

  Not too far away from the crowd, they saw Solane with her face in her hands. Her body was jolting with quiet sobs.

  King was the first to rush to her, in a few strides he was in front of her. He reached to touch her but pulled back at the last second.

  “What happened? Who made you cry.” His voice was heavy with anger.

  “I-I can’t...look.” The girl’s voice was unrecognizable. Even when she had caught Shoku and Daria fighting, she didn’t sound so shaken. Slowly she pointed at the center of the crowd with a shaky finger.

  King stomped toward the commotion with a determined glare. The people naturally parted to make way for him. Shoku used that to slip right behind the mountain and finally see what was causing such agitation in the morning.

  Maybe he would have preferred not to see.

  In the middle of the people stood the figure of their priestess. The boy’s heart skipped a beat when he saw that her once immaculate robe was marred with blood. The scarlet liquid had been soaked up by the cloth, making it stick to her thin body.

  But this blood wasn’t hers. Cradled in her arms was a small, bloodied form. It was hard to make out what it was. The limbs of the creature were mangled, making it impossible to identify.

  Xenevia’s legs gave out under her, and she fell on her knees. This was enough for the corpse in her arms to lose its head. The skull rolled all the way to shoku’s feet, drawing a red trail in the once immaculate snow.

  The boy’s face went pale when he looked down and stared right into two lifeless yellow eyes.

  ?...Star? ?

  A wretched sensation worked its way from the pits of his stomach up to his throat. He had to put his hands in front of his mouth to stop himself from throwing up.

  He watched in pure horror as the holy woman dragged her body on the ground to reach for the head.

  Her face was the one of a stranger; devoid of any strength or pride. Her hand cupped the bloody head and held it against her chest, all shaking. How could this fierce woman look so pathetic and frail?

  Suddenly, he felt a painful grip on his arm. He turned to see that Daria had appeared next to him. Her hands were shaking hard on the boy. He could see under her bangs just how wide her eyes were.

  Next to them, King face showed nothing at all. He was like frozen in time.

  People started parting once again to let a group of men pass: Hector and his gang.

  The noble approached the scene with slow steps; his head was down in a truly sorry expression.

  The moment Xenevia saw him, her eyes flared up with an intensity never seen before. They were flickering violently like old flames trying to stay alive. She pushed herself off the ground and rushed at him.

  “HECTOR!”

  Two men next to the noble stepped forward to stop her charge before she could reach their leader. Her thin build was no match against two human males.

  “Sister” started the noble. “I am so sorry for what happened to your companion. I can’t believe a beast managed to sneak into the church...”

  Xenevia’s face contorted in anger “That’s the work of NO beast! It's y-”

  “Holy Sister, you are still under the shock of this tragic event.” He covered his face with a hand and sobbed quietly. “And the worst is that you cannot stay.”

  Xenevia’s rage stopped for a second “What?”

  “Ho I'm sorry Sister. It's just that I remembered my studying days and recalled a certain law.” He looked straight at the lightbringer with sad eyes “vow 4 of the lightbringer oath: A lightbringer must always possess a star owl for communication. In the eventual loss of said bird, the lightbringer needs to IMMEDIATLY head back to Kirgivar to get a new one.”

  Silence filled the town center; no one dared to even breathe. Xenevia’s expression shattered; her eyes lost their glow and became akin to two dull stones.

  “You know that...but I can’t go back now that-”

  “Sister, please! What if a huge threat suddenly appeared in this O-so defenseless village. Just imagine a group of raiders or even worse, a demon suddenly appearing. How could you warn the holy knights to come and save the inhabitants you love so much?”

  At this point the holy woman was out of it. She was staring into the void with her mouth slightly open. She slowly looked around her at the crowd surrounding her then finally at the terrified eyes of the children.

  “...I need to take some stuff first. I'll be back quickly.”

  The frail woman hugged the corpse of her bird closer to her before walking up the stairs of the church like an undead. The doors quietly shut behind her.

  ...

  “My dear friends.”

  Hector stepped over the bloody snow to walk up the stairs. Once at the top and visible to everyone, he smiled reassuringly.

  “Your lightbringer will have to leave which means that the church of light won’t be refilled in light magic for a while.”

  The crowd around him whispered in concern.

  “Fear not, for I am here!” he snapped his fingers and flames of all colors burst out of his hands, snaking above the people before dissipating into tiny sparks.

  “I will help you all during these upcoming dark times.”

  The men with Hector start applauding and the crowd soon followed. The magic user bowed in front of them as if he was on a scene.

  “Thank you, thank you. I'll take great care of you.”

  Slowly but surely, the center got less agitated, Hector left with his men and the people eventually got back to their usual occupations as if nothing had happened.

  Shoku, Daria, and King were the last ones in front of the church. Solane had went back home, the shock had been hard on her too and she couldn’t bear to stay near the crime scene.

  Shoku felt a sense of sickness so great it was ineffable. He looked at the red stains in front of the church stairs as if he hoped they would disappear.

  ...

  But they stayed.

  He turned to look at King who still hadn’t moved.

  “Help me.”

  The titan finally moved to look down at the small boy. “What?”

  “I do not like you, but I need your help if I want to get rid of this horrible guy.”

  King’s face darkened “Get rid of him? We're just kids, idiot. What do you think we can do against a magical noble who controls fire?”

  “And you think the adults are going to do anything!?”

  A bitter smirk grew on King’s lips. Shoku was pretty sure that it was the first time that he had seen his lips curl up.

  “Fair enough” He sighed loudly “Ok, but I’m the leader.”

  Shoku wanted to protest but before he could say anything, Daria spoke:

  “Ok”

  Shoku turned to look at the usually rebellious girl. She wasn’t the type to listen to anyone, even him, and now she was agreeing with King of all people.

  Her face deformed into a painful grimace. She smiled but it was clear that she was feeling everything but joy. Her eyes, wet with tears, locked on King.

  “It can be very fun.”

  With a sigh, Shoku swallowed his pride and faced King. “You can be the leader. Just give me any orders.”

  King crossed his arms and looked at the determined faces of the ones in front of him.

  “Great. Shoku, since you work in the mines you must have noticed weird things there.”

  “Well, the part where I used to work, is now always guarded by a big guy of Hector’s gang.”

  “Good, then find a way in no matter what.” He turned to Daria. “You keep trying to observe the people in the forest, they might be related to all of that. Although do not follow them into it.”

  “Is it understood for the both of you?”

  “YES” screamed in unison the two smaller kids.

  “As for me...” King faced away from them to look in the distance, at the house above all others.

  “...I’ll go back home.