[OUTSKIRTS OF THE WEEPING FOREST]
Lining the path Nahasch had opened up for the boys sat the forest animals they had met weeks ago when they had first come to meet him.
Among the herd were Aryeh and her cubs, who seemed to have been growing bored of waiting.
Leon — Aryeh's son — grinned so widely at the sight of Jacender that the boy assumed he was trying to bite him and flinched as the cub dashed forward and scaled his body.
"A-AAAHH!!" Jace cried, trying to drag him off. But Leon wouldn't let go. In fact, he burrowed his tiny paws deep into the boy's hair, penetrating the outer layer of his scalp as he did so and rested comfortably atop Jace's head. Hidemi giggled at the sight of it while Aleximus chose to ignore it and moved forward.
"Are these ours?" he asked Nahasch while he approached the tree behind Aryeh. Two worn backpacks rested against the trunk, waiting for them to grab it.
"Indeed," Nahasch responded. "None of your items have been disturbed or removed, including your letter of introduction for Pendragon."
He motioned upwards with his thumb and pointed at a great-winged eagle with black feathers and a golden beak. Its face was annoyed, yet smug with accomplishment.
"This is Nesher. He is a golden eagle indigenous to the land of Cielterre, not far from here. A few months ago, my principal message carrier was an owl named Strix. He broke his wing and landed in Xastol, where he's been unable to leave for some time now."
That must've been one of the reasons he wasn't so nice to the dwarves when they sent Upo as an envoy. Aleximus realized.
The eagle released a high-pitched screech and flew down onto Nahasch's shoulder, earning him a stern glare from Tannin. He was awfully impudent.
"I've enlisted Nesher's help in scouting the town of Zenica to confirm some suspicions I've had." Nahasch continued.
"What do you mean?" Jace asked. "What sort of suspicions?"
"None that you can do anything about at the moment," Nahasch said with a dismissive wave. "All you need to know is that once you arrive in Zenica, a path towards Pendragon will present itself to you. Nesher will guide you towards it, but you will be the ones who make the choice in the end."
Despite being confused, Aleximus shrugged and accepted Nahasch's explanation. He knew that pestering him further would serve no purpose. The three of them had gotten what they'd come to see him for after all.
"Thanks. We'll figure it out from here."
Aleximus glanced at Hidemi, who was staring at Xastol's walls in the distance.
As for him, he thought, …his enemy isn't just a single person. What Hidemi is taking on… is that whole city.
He recalled Hisagi's arrogant scowl from the top of the battlement railing and drew in a deep breath. "Our job is already clear," he said confidently. "Isn't that right, Hidemi?"
The boy smiled and tapped the hammer holstered on his waist. "Ahn!" he declared loudly, welcoming the challenge. It was no lie. No longer did worry and doubt fill Hidemi's mind; there was only a peaceful tranquility.
Jacender grinned and stood next to him. "Damn straight!"
Pleased with the resolution in each boy's eye, Nahasch stepped outstretched his arms and stood in front of the path leading to the city of Xastol in the distance.
"That wall," he declared, "...is fate,"
"It is an unavoidable obstacle we must all face at one point or another. However, the road one walks to confront such absurdity is the only weapon possible to combat that. That road… is a choice. As such, are you aware of what that makes you?"
Aleximus and Jacender threw their bags over their back and walked past him with Hidemi who punched his fist forward triumphantly.
. "That's obvious, isn't it?" Aleximus boy asked without turning back.
Jace inhaled sharply and thrust both his arms out so the whole world would hear:
"WE'RE DESTINY, YOU BASTARDS!!"
Exhilaration flooded the lord's veins, but he couldn't show it. They have finally arrived, my friend… he thought to himself. He remembered his oldest friend — the one he'd told Aleximus that was still fighting somewhere out in the broad universe.
Nahasch stared fondly at the backs of Jacender and Aleximus; at the sun and moon etched onto their clothing and smiled.
The two you're searching for… Those brothers may very well be the ones.
Ahead, at the edge of the forest, Jacender struggled to pull Leon off of his head and winced. The cub's paws were dug in deep.
"Argh!" he whimpered. "Come on, Leon! I can't take you with me! Your mom will kill me! Get… off!"
The young cub refused and poked deeper. "Nawr!" he yelped.
Unfortunately for Jace, Leon had grown too attached to him in the short month they'd known each other.
A savage and guttural, "NGRRR!!!", roared from behind Jace, demanding both his and Leon's attention.
Jace spun and came face-to-face with Aryeh and her daughter, the latter of which pouted jealously at her brother.
Jace feared the great huntress would attack him for holding her son and fought harder to remove Leon from his head. "Hey, it's not what you think! He won't get—"
Before he could finish, Aryeh shockingly rose on her hind legs and towered over Jace. Her brow softened, and her mouth, usually twisted in a growl, rested in a calm expression. She leaned forward and put her head against her son's.
"Haaaahhh…" she breathed and licked his brow. Leon rubbed his nose against hers and then cooed warmly as his mother pulled back.
"What are you..?" Jace began. What was happening? Was this a goodbye? If so, why?.
Leon finally jumped down from the boy's head and landed on the floor gracefully in front of his sister. He circled her playfully and then got closer as to bump heads. His sister responded in kind and purred softly.
"Wait…" Jace said, everything finally clicking. "Don't tell me… you want me to take him?"
For the first time ever, Aryeh smiled at the boy, revealing a toothy grin, and rubbed her head against his arm.
Without argument, Jace knelt down and locked eyes with the young cub, not a trace of humor in his gaze. "Leon… Where I'm going… It might be — no, it will be dangerous. Are you sure you want to come with me?"
Leon placed his paw on Jace's palm.
"…Alright," the boy smiled as he grabbed him. He lifted him up to his face and allowed the cub the lick his nose. "We're partners from here on out, got it? We'll watch each other's backs!"
He placed Leon atop his head and turned to catch up with Aleximus and Hidemi.
Thanks to his training and short time in the outside world, he had finally come to understand better what it was to have a choice and what it meant; even for Sanctum Beasts. Leon was now part of his family.
Aryeh and her daughter let loose a resounding cry — a roar from the depths of their hearts and souls. Leon, who watched them as Jace continued forward, roared back in turn, knowing it would be the final time he'd see his family again.
Jace raised his arm and waved goodbye without turning back. Leon's presence had filled him with a piece of something he had felt was missing since he'd left the Axis; something that would at the very least bring him peace alongside Aleximus.
That something was stability. Now and always, he would always have a piece of the place that made him stronger with him: a piece of The Weeping Forest.
Leon settled his chin on Jace's hair and lay down so as to not disturb him.
Aleximus and Hidemi had traveled quite a ways down the road, so with a content smile, Jacender took into a running position and made his way for the two, eager to introduce them to Leon.
"Hey! Wait up!"
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY, DRAGONS BREATH TOWER, TOP FLOOR]
Banderd Murong watched over the city from the balcony. It seemed that he had grown even skinnier in the past three weeks than he had been before. No longer was his frame as imposing as it once was. The Murong clan rest inscribed on his hanfu rested wearily against his back and the birdcage illustration on his shoulder had drooped low, making it look as if the cage was being slammed shut by its surroundings.
Stress was eating away at him.
"Hoo!" the owl next to him screeched. Like always, it knocked its head against the steel bars and glared at him without reservation.
"At least one of us still has energy," Banderd joked, glancing at the bird. He slowly put his fingers through the open spaces with hopes of petting its head but then—
TK!!
The owl lashed forward angrily and snipped at his finger, nearly taking it off. Banderd pulled back immediately, his frustration growing with each passing second.
"Is freedom what you want?!" he spat and grabbed onto the cage. The owl flinched and moved backward as Banderd pressed his face closer to the bird.
"I found you broken-winged and alone in the snow, helpless to any predator that might have come across you! Or have you forgotten who nursed you back to health when you were on death's door?! Have you forgotten who fed you and kept you safe?! Why can't you be grateful and follow my instructions?!"
"Just do as you're told!" he added. He shook the cage threateningly and nearly toppled it. "These walls keep you and me safe! Dreams of going beyond them are—"
He stopped, noticing the fear in the owl's eyes. Banderd realized immediately that he'd gone too far. "I-I'm sorry…" he whispered while he withdrew his hand.
I… I sound like father..!
His hands trembled with fear. Is this… Is this the kind of dwarf I am meant to be..? He asked himself.
His eyes watered as he glanced at the owl. It had come closer to the front of the cage, its curiosity piqued by his sudden breakdown.
"Cooo..?"
The bird's hazel eyes reminded Banderd of Ivan's. Its pupils bore into his very soul, stripping him of all his anger, sadness, and confusion and staring at what lay beneath it all; at the core of Banderd's makeup. Under such scrutiny, the dwarf couldn't help but squirm and rise to his feet. It felt as if his very self were being questioned. No… Banderd felt that if he continued to allow the bird to stare, he himself would begin to question the beliefs instilled within him.
"After today, these heinous thoughts of doubt plaguing my mind will disappear forever…" he muttered. "Xastol will be safe… Order will be maintained…"
Though he was saying it to the owl, his eyes seemed vacant, as if he wasn't really there. His pupils were dilated and became more and more out of focus as he breathed in and out.
Father… Ruo… My sins… What I've done… It cannot be forgiven… It cannot…
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY, JIANYU PRISON]
Ivan connected the final line of chalk he'd drawn on his cell wall and took a step back.
"Finally," He murmured to himself, "It's complete."
He stood back and admired his work; The flower sigil he had been sketching for over two months was at least done.
He gave his thick beard a scratch and looked at the vent above him. Small particles of dust came down as a result of it not being cleaned well. But that didn't matter. What was important to Ivan, was that the vent was a source of fresh air, meaning it was connected to the outside some way. Because of that, that also meant that the vent was a source of natural Sanctum Essence — however scarce.
It's shoddy work, Ivan thought. He stared at the flower he'd drawn and the circle he'd captured it within as he cocked his head to the side. A flower sigil is drawn with chalk designed to capture and disperse natural Sanctum Essence… The Onix Embassy sure has some neat tricks, don't they? I'll have to thank Matsuda again for teaching me this when I see him again.
"It's midday," he muttered to himself as he worked out the calculations. "The sun is finally at its highest point, so any alterations within temperature should work to my benefit."
He smiled and picked up a sturdy wooden chair leg from the other side of his jail cell. Banderd hadn't moved the seat far enough away after their last conversation weeks ago, and the guard — Wèi — hadn't bothered to notice when bringing him his daily meals.
Ivan grabbed the dirty cup on his coffee table and splashed the little water he had left against the end of the chair leg and his cell gate's lock. In the center of the leg was a small hole he'd drilled in with the shaved end of a spoon. He grabbed the small piece of aluminum foil from his several-week-old baked potato and twisted it enough so it fit inside of the hole he'd created in the chair leg and jammed the other end into the gate's keyway. In another moment, it hit the far end of the lock's chassis.
He let go of the leg, pleased that he'd managed to conjoin it to the lock horizontally without it falling over. The water had provided just enough adhesion for the two substances to stick.
Perfect.
"The easy parts' over with. Now, comes the hard part…"
Ivan stepped back to reveal the flower sigil on the wall behind him was perfectly in line with the wooden leg and cell lock. Then, Ivan clasped his hands together and formed a strange sign:
Mudras.
He closed his eyes in concentration and thought back to his old friend Matsuda and some advice he'd once given him while out drinking:
"Listen, Ivan," his friend had said with a drunken slur. "Mudras are extremely dangerous techniques, got it? It's like jumpstarting a car with your bare hands! You have to visualize your entire body as your Sanctum Core and draw power that momentarily exceeds your body's energy threshold! It's even more dangerous without access to Sanctum Energy! Never do it without a sigil as a transmutation medium if you don't wanna blow yourself up!"
Ivan's eyes opened as a lone bead of sweat rolled down his neck. "I'm gonna curse you to hell if I die here, Mat'..."
And so the dwarf began; flicking through gestures and symbols to the best of his memory and waving hand signs to siphon the Sanctum Essence in the air towards the flower sigil and convert it into energy.
BZZZ!
A flash of purple lightning crackled behind him from the sigil and momentarily caused Ivan to recoil at the sight of the energy. He winced and looked down at his hands. They swelled terribly as a small crack appeared in his palm.
Even just a few moments of weaving had started to tear at his body in such a dramatic fashion. Any more and he might not be able to save his hands.
"But…" Ivan chuckled dryly. A grin grew on his face as he discarded all thoughts of hesitation. "It worked! With this… I can get out!"
He stepped back again with a confident look in his eyes and locked his fingers together once more.
Hidemi… he vowed, I'm coming.
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY WALL, CITY GATE]
Hidemi's eyes twinkled at the sight of Leon. He smiled and hugged himself with joy at how cute the cub was.
"Eugh!" Jace flinched and backed away from him. "What's up with you?"
Leon awoke, startled from his rest, and sunk his claws deeper into the boy's head.
"YEEOOWW!" Jace thundered.
Aleximus sucked his teeth and kicked him in his leg, causing Jace to writhe in pain. "Shut up! Do you always have to be so loud?!" he asked with a frustrated expression. "And where'd you even pick that thing up? Are you a moron?!"
Now, Jace's eye twitched. He shot up with comical fury and cracked his knuckles. "Oi! Who'dya think you're talking to, Aleximus?!"
They both got in each other's faces and posture cockily. Hidemi palmed his face, knowing he couldn't stop them once they got going. "You mo~ron!" Aleximus spat in a sing-song voice. "Idiot! Ultimate ignoramus!"
"Learning new insults, huh?" Jace growled. "Sorry, but I don't even know what that word means!"
Hidemi and Leon shook their heads with shame and averted their gaze for fear they would catch Jace's stupidity.
"I was wrong," Aleximus sneered and shoved his thumb down. "You're not just an idiot. You're a special kind of idiot!"
Jace blushed and launched himself at him. "Why you!"
"Get off of me!"
"Never!"
"JAAACE!"
"ALEXIMUSSS!"
Leon had jumped off of Jace's head before they started tussling and landed near Hidemi. The two watched with dead-pan faces as a dust cloud swirled up around the two brothers, only revealing their flying punches and kicks.
Then, a voice at the top of the wall caught all of their attention:
"SO!"
The twins stopped fighting and looked up, narrowing their eyes within seconds to get a better look at the newcomers. Standing above them, as he did last time, was Captain Upo, who sneered arrogantly while surrounded by his armed men.
"You really came after all, huh?!"
The faces of Jacender, Aleximus, Hidemi, and even Leon respectively crumpled with disdain. "Aren't you…" Aleximus began, trying to remember his name.
The captain smiled haughtily and brushed his hair back. "So you remember me? I would say I'm flattered, but getting a compliment from a human—"
"—Captain Lupo, right?" Aleximus finished with a gleeful snort.
The Captain's face flushed red as he squealed, "That's not my name!" before his men could snicker.
"That's not right, Aleximus," Jace corrected him. "It's Captain Bupo isn't it?"
"No, that doesn't sound right." Aleximus shrugged. He went back and forth with Jacender, the both of them arguing indistinctly about what his name was.
Upo glowered at them. How dare they have a conversation while I'm talking to them?!
Jace finally relented and placed his hand closer to his mouth. "Hey, Mr.Lupo!" he shouted, "Could you please open the gate? We're gonna be late for the Dwanivit! Hidemi needs to get in!"
"Yeah," Aleximus added. "You're wasting our time, Lupo."
"Mhm!" Hidemi agreed as Leon, too, concurred with a snappy bark.
Upo's neck and temple became riddled with veins. Even the damn lion?
He unstrapped the gun from his waist and aimed it at the group of boys. "Damn it, I will not be mocked by brats! Especially filthy humans!"
His men scrambled to stop him and grabbed his arms. "C-Captain! You can't! The Councilmen—"
"Gah! Get off me!" Banderd ordered. "I won't shoot! I won't shoot!"
The men did as ordered and released him. Upo fixed his collar and put his gun back down. The kids hadn't even budged at the threat of getting shot. Tsk, Elder Gido asked me to scare the boy off before he could enter the city, but this… What happened this past month for them to not fear a bullet from a Cuiong anymore?
He huffed loudly and waved to his men. "Open the gate, you layabouts!"
The men spread throughout the walkway and assumed their positions.
ARRRRRRRRRUOOOOOO!!
A bright light shone from the foreign languages marked on the wall of the enclosed city and began to spread quickly until the energy spread towards the gate where it flowed into the Murong clan crest and hummed beautifully.
The walls shook, its thick, stone double doors slowly opening as the beat of golden energy faded from the inscriptions.
"Well?" Upo barked at them. "Hurry up and get in!"
The boys didn't need to be told twice. Leon jumped back on Jace and rested on him as the boys walked through.
"What the…" Aleximus's posture stiffened. He froze in place, observing his surroundings, but Jacender kept walking as the gates closed behind them, not a worry in his mind. He hadn't even realized that he was close to walking past a guardrail and plummeting to his death.
"IDIOT!" Aleximus gasped, yanking his brother by the collar. His heart thumped comically through his chest as he smacked Jace's head. "Pay attention! You almost got yourself killed!"
Jace flinched at the site of the giant crater before them. Barred off by the large rail encircling it near the entrance for safety, it would've been apt to call it a chasm if not for what lay beneath them.
Hidemi beckoned them closer to the rail and joined both brothers in peering down at a wonder unlike any other they'd ever seen before.
"What the—" Jace began, his voice becoming an unconscious yell. "What the hell is this place?!"
Down the chillingly deep chasm, instead of shadows and nothingness, a bustling city of light and celebration cut through the air below like a blast of air whipping them in the face.
Townhouses, wells, mines, staggering towers, and even parks dotted the deceptively large area below them. This was no chasm. They had assumed that Xastol was on level ground, but it was not! Xastol… was a city 100 meters below ground!
Jace turned to Hidemi, barely able to contain his excitement, and smiled.
"It's amazing!"
"Owa!" Hidemi grinned back. It was his home, despite being banished from it. How could he not love it?
After a few moments of absorbing the vastness of Xastol, Hidemi led them to a large glass elevator capable of fitting hundreds of people. Instead of a lever as they'd expected, there sat a thin hammer set to go down.
GRNK!
As they descended, Aleximus joined Hidemi in staring at the city inside the box. Jacender remained in the back and brushed Leon's fur with his hands.
Aleximus used the opportunity to say what he'd been holding onto for nearly a month now.
"...Hidemi," he started. "About the way I treated you before when we first met… I'm—"
"Owa!" Hidemi's voice cut in. He pointed past the smaller buildings in the city and urged Aleximus to follow his line of sight to a giant tower with an imposing dragon's head at its ceiling. He hadn't seen Aleximus's lips, so he didn't know he was speaking to him.
Aleximus lowered his gaze, assuming the boy didn't care. I guess I can't really apologize, can I?
But something surprised him:
Hidemi stuck out his hand and curled it into a fist, poking Aleximus in the chest with a smile. "Ahn!" he grinned, telling him to do the same.
Aleximus stifled a grunt and reluctantly raised his arm. "What are you..?" he started. "There. You happy?"
Hidemi nodded fervently and brought his hands together to sign something.
"I don't understand what you're saying," he told him. However, he didn't need to; Hidemi was spelling it out in a language he'd understand.
"FR… I… EN… D" Aleximus read carefully.
It suddenly hit him. "Me..? I'm your… friend?"
Hidemi nodded and tapped the boy's chest with his fist once more. "Ahn!"
Aleximus blushed and looked away as the elevator came to a halt. "Idiot…" he muttured. "Who'd wanna be friends with you?"
Hidemi laughed. It was the first time he'd gotten Aleximus to show him any emotion other than anger or reluctance. He was happy to get that much.
I swear… Aleximus shook his head. He stepped out of the elevator first with a "Hmph!", and smiled faintly. It's like I'm surrounded by idiots.
Behind them both, Jacender, who had been secretly listening to their conversation, looked at Leon and grinned.
Like Nahasch had said over a month ago: they were finally friends.
That felt amazing.
[DAY OF DWANIVIT [II] ]