[XASTOL CITY, DRAGONS BREATH TOWER, TOP FLOOR — ELEVEN YEARS AGO]
Gido and Huin sat at their respective tables, busy either writing documents, reading them, or making plans on calligraphy paper. Banderd, too, sat in a counselor's seat, but instead of writing or documenting, he was reading his black book, examining its contents with dark rings under his eyes. A stack of paper sat on the corner of his table. His work was finished a long time ago.
There were two other men in the room as well. One of them, a stocky dwarf with golden-brown hair, Ruo, was busy cackling happily to himself with a bottle of wine and wiping his lips.
"Fool," Banderd said sternly, flipping to the next page. "Stop laughing so loudly. Our brothers are working."
"Ha!" Ruo laughed. "I can't help but laugh, Banderd!" He poured himself another round and downed it, already refilling his cup before turning to the last man in the room. "Isn't that right, father?"
Their father, Dwygrand Murong, was an older dwarf with a long, braided beard and a slanted nose. He sat at the elevated Speaker's desk, smoking from a pipe as he leaned back into his chair, facing the balcony window where a white dove had settled against the railing. His burnt-umber hair rested against his shoulder, betraying any expectations one would have had for his appearance. Dwygrand was 476 this year — one of the oldest ages for any dwarf in recorded history.
Like his sons, he wore a hanfu, but it was not stylized in any way. It was merely a blank brown robe, accented only by his obsidian necklace.
"Let Donnovan laugh, Banderd," Dwygrand said with a puff. His voice was gritty and deep, like a loudspeaker. "That conniving temptress of a girl — that Gwentyn who bewitched my favorite son — she's finally dead. What more of a cause could there be to celebrate? Now, Ivan will finally return to my side. Where he belongs."
A twinge of discomfort appeared in the crease between Banderd's eyebrows at the mention of "favorite son". To mask it, he put down the book and inhaled his father's chestnut-flavored smoke.
"I hardly think celebrating death — no matter whose — is the correct way to respect our kin. Ivan deserves our condolences, Ruo."
"Bah!" Ruo spat. "If it were up to me, Ivan would have already been exiled to the Weeping Forest — his detainment be damned!"
"Good thing it's not up to you," Banderd responded coldly. "Father was gracious enough to allow him and the woman to stay here in Xastol, despite everything that happened on Verglas; something that Church has forbidden all conversation of."
Ruo waved his hand dismissively and smacked his bottle down onto the table. "Gracious? Ha! It's not like he gave him a choice; it was either he never came back or she'd be allowed to come back with him! He took advantage of his father's kindness and now he's paid the price for it!"
Banderd pursed his lips with disgust. "Have you already forgotten that it was us who forced Daava not to assist his wife that night? What manner of kindness is that?"
Ruo sucked his teeth as his older brother picked up the black book again. "You're so arrogant, aren't you, Banderd? Holding yourself out as better than us?"
He lowered his voice so only Banderd would hear and whispered, "You tout yourself as the perfect dwarf; like you're meant to be Arsaes' reincarnation himself. But you lack the stomach to abandon those who disrespect our ways! You're weak, brother!"
Banderd drew a sharp breath and blinked hard. "I don't hold myself out as better than anyone, Ruo."
"Then why do you keep reading that old thing?!"
Ruo pointed at the book and its worn and tattered pages. Banderd had to strain his eyes just to read the words.
"That thing has been in the family for generations, and no one even knows what it's for! I don't even know why father gave it to you; it should just be in the Dragon Vault. You don't really understand those pages, do you? Tell the truth: you're just trying to become more 'dwarven', aren't you? You think you need a book to do that?!"
"…I just like to read, Ruo. Nothing more, nothing less."
Huin turned to Dwygrand, irritated with listening to Ruo's drunken arguments and said, "Do you honestly believe that Ivan will give in so easily? His child was born just a few days ago, wasn't he? A half-human-half-dwarf has been born for the first time despite all we tried to prevent it. Ivan is right about what we did. What's to stop that boy from despising us once he grows up?"
"The boy is not one of us," Dwygrand said coldly. "He will be discarded if Ivan is to have a place with us again. That was the choice I gave him yesterday when I visited his home."
"You visited him?" Gido gasped, dropping a rolled document.
Dwygrand ashed his pipe and finally faced them. "He was angry and nearly attacked me for stopping Davaa. Luckily, I had the Sentries hold him back as we spoke. I told him to banish that mutant son of his to the Weeping Forest if he ever seeks to be a true dwarf again."
"You what?!" Banderd gasped, his book falling from his hands. "Father! You went too far! His wife has just died! His child? Why would you—"
"—Because of his own foolishness!" Dwygrand roared, slamming the table. The miniature dragon statue sitting there toppled over.
"Nearly fifty years I've nurtured that boy, trying to mold him in my image; to raise him up to lead the clan in my stead! But instead… he's spat in the face of everything those walls stand for — everything I stand for!"
He rose to his feet, making them all fall silent. The pipe fell onto the table and covered the dragon with hot ash, dirtying its curves immediately.
"Leaving the clan to help supply a war that wasn't his with weapons he had no right to build! To bed and wife a human wench! To supply weapons to people who weren't his own! Tell me — is any of that something any real dwarf would do?! Let alone one who calls himself my son?!"
Dwygrand's knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists, his veins throbbing at his temple. He shook his fist with Sanctum Energy and continued, descending the steps of his platform as he shouted at them all:
"Tradition is law! Without it, we fall into anarchy! Our forefathers were correct to remove themselves from chaos because it is the destroyer of everything! The humans he adores exist in that chaos! They thrive in it! And I will not allow my people, nor my sons, to be devoured by such idiocy!"
The tower itself began to shake with Dwygrand's rage, scaring the guards outside and on the ground floor, cracking the pillars holding up the Murong clan banners.
"He dishonors me with his actions and squanders his immense talent on ants he will outlive! So his choice will be to return to me, or not have a place to return to!"
Banderd averted his gaze and bit his lip. …Yes. Father is right. Tradition is the only thing that separates us from the animals. We must uphold it or we will cease to be dwarves. We must not falter. We can not. Or else…
He hesitated, wondering, "Or else what?"
What existed beyond the worry of what could happen? Was there another path? If so, then could he—
"Koff!" Dwygrand hacked into his hand, interrupting Banderd's thoughts. His father looked at his palm and squinted before hiding what was there behind his back. Banderd was the only one to notice the spot of red on the edge of his father's hand.
"Mind your business, Banderd," Dwygrand ordered. He looked at the rest of them and shook his fist.
"As for what I said before — am I understood?!"
One by one they all nodded, all notions of argument dashed at Dwygrand's hand. Banderd was the last to nod.
"Yes, father," he said, opening his book once more. "...I understand."
-------🅰🆂🅷🅵🅸🅴🅻🅳-------
[XASTOL CITY, DRAGONS BREATH TOWER, TOP FLOOR — PRESENT TIME]
Ivan ran his fingers along the corner of the Speaker's desk. It had once belonged to his father, who had always insisted on keeping the desk clean and spotless. Even though he'd said that, Ivan would often find bits of ash from the pipe Dwygrand smoked from stubbornly sticking to the top like dust. He'd always wondered wheter or not his father had forgotten or purposefully done it to get him to clean up after. Which was it, he'd wonder? This desk, passed down from Speaker of the Council to the next for thousands of years… how important was it to his father?
Ivan never got to ask him.
"It's almost shiny," he said, smiling as he turned his head to Banderd. His brother sat at the edge of the desk and raised his brow with indifference.
"Who keeps their workspace disorganized?"
His brother chuckled at the dig and looked up at the others in the room. Jacender, Aleximus, and Hidemi stood on one side of the room while Gido, Huin, and Hisagi stood on the other.
"We've all come now, Banderd." Ivan said. "I think it's time you told us the true reason you brought us here."
Banderd glanced at them quickly before staring at his caged owl outside the balcony. It wasn't screaming like it normally did today; instead, it watched silently, observing Banderd's subtle change.
"I've always tried to please others; to be an upstanding dwarf in the eyes of those who watched so that I might make our ancestors proud. It is not only my duty to accept the way that father and Arsaes shaped our lives, but it is also my penance to accept the flux of responsibility that they entrust to me. I can never become more than that."
He stared at the floor for a moment and thought of his father's face.
"But I don't think that's the truth anymore."
His brothers' eyes stirred with surprise as he continued: "I believe what I truly cared about was not our laws or the responsibilities therein. At least… not fully."
Banderd looked at the children and shook his head, understanding that he should have realized what they represented a long time ago.
"It was the people," he said, smiling at them. "I was afraid for those I'd never be able to protect had father's rules crumbled. Everyone in this city is my family, regardless of bloodline, but I let my fear for others' safety cloud my judgment. In the end, it was I, who doubted Xastol's people, who was truly afraid to allow them to doubt themselves."
Ivan cast him a sympathetic look. He'd always known how hard his brother pushed himself because of his care. It hurt him to see Banderd like that, knowing that it could be so much easier if he'd have simply seen things his way to begin with. But Ivan knew such a thing was not possible, no matter how much he wanted it. Banderd had to make his choice on his own.
Banderd ran his finger along the dragon statue and thought fondly of the man who'd once held the seat he and his brother stood next to:
Their father, Dwygrand.
"I don't want to be afraid any longer of a tomorrow that may never come," he said with a look at Hidemi. "I want to embrace every moment as it arrives, like a normal person would. I want to be free just as you have, nephew."
Hidemi felt his chest swell with pride at his uncle's words. Was this the first time he'd ever referred to him as his nephew? Hidemi didn't know, nor did he care. His joy came from the fact that he'd been able to impact his uncle, a dwarf so unrelenting and grand that one might have mistook him for a boulder. There was something about his acknowledgement that made his cheeks red.
"Ahn!" he responded.
"And Hisagi," Banderd said with a smile, "There is still so much you will learn and grow into. You're Ruo's son. Be daring and unreserved, do you understand? But most of all, I want you to pursue your dream without restraints! Show Hidemi that you will not fall behind so easily!"
Just like his cousin, Hisagi's heart fluttered momentarily before he could compose himself. "O-Of course!" he shouted, bowing so quickly a gust of wind had flapped his robe over his head.
Aleximus pinched Jacender as he snickered.
Banderd made his way down the platform's staircase and squatted right in front of the twins. "Like many others, I was opposed to having humans inside of our city. I broke our laws and masked it with the lie of gaining one more resource for Xastol in the way of your Ash Tree wood. Now I know what truly drove me to that decision: a desire to see if this rigid city could buckle even slightly in the face of new beginnings. For that, I thank you."
As he said it, he placed both his hands on each of their shoulders and smiled. "Xastol thanks you."
Ivan's eye twitched for a moment. Banderd's words sounded odd. They weren't just thanks and compliments. Did he mean something else?
He watched his brother stand, reach into his robe, and pull out the same worn-out black book he always carried with him. Banderd faced his younger brothers with a somber smile.
"'A dwarf must be pure in all things.' That is the last line of this Dwixor religious text. 'Purity in faith, purity in love, and even purity in hate. A dwarf must be pure in all things."
His hands tightened on the book and created a bright glow. Somehow, he was the only one to have noticed it.
"You two must hold each other accountable," Banderd said. "Things will never be perfect, no matter how much reasoning or feeling you put behind them. You must instead be resolute and steadfast, holding onto what you know is right and forging our people a new path — one that is willing to coexist with differing roads. As Xastol's counselors, you must take on this role, do you understand?"
Neither brother could fully grasp the meaning of Banderd's words, but they didn't have to. Nothing other than their brother's heart could have made it for clear as to what he meant. They nodded together.
"If it's for a better tomorrow, then Xastol can change." Gido smiled.
"Indeed," Huin added with his own smirk. "And we'll all do it together. Not alone."
Banderd's lips trembled. That's… That's good. I only wish I could be here to see the new era that you usher in.
The light around the book in his hands spread through his fingers, rushed down his arms, and soon cloaked his entire body. Banderd glanced down in fear for a moment, but then his eyes calmed. He understood what was happening.
The others, however, did not understand. Confusion set upon Ivan's face as he stepped forward. "What's happening?!" he asked. "Banderd!"
Banderd shook his head and stopped him from coming any closer.
"It's alright," he responded. "Don't worry."
Banderd's eyes traveled to the balcony adjacent to him until he saw the cage where the owl he'd saved sat. "Strix," he breathed, making his way for it. The bird watched silently as its captor stopped before him, bathed in silver light, and locked eyes with her.
"Hooo…"
Banderd slid the cage's latch off and slowly reached for the door. Strix backed away, untrusting.
"It's alright — It's alright."
The door opened as Banderd pulled his hand back. The owl waited for a moment. Then another. Finally, when she felt that Banderd wasn't trying to trick her, Strix hopped forward and poked her head out. Banderd gave her a knowing look. She had wanted to leave since the first day he'd locked her in the cage. He'd so often told himself it was for her own good — that she'd be safer this way — and yet he was the only one brought comfort by the fact she was restrained. He understood now how wrong he truly was.
"I wonder if you can find it in your heart to forgive me?" he asked. The light around his body bore into him until his figure had become almost translucent. He was somehow fading, and no one knew why.
Strix looked deep into Banderd's eyes before tilting her head to the side. "Hoot!" she screeched and jumped out of the cage. Banderd flinched for a second, scared that he might fall, but the owl jerked up at the last second, her broken wing finally mended, and soared past Banderd and into the Council room. She flew behind Ivan and knocked down the miniature dragon statue on the Speaker's desk:
A symbol of defiance against hundreds of years of rules.
Banderd grinned, realizing that with that action, Strix had not only forgiven him, but was agreeing wholeheartedly with his new era of Xastol. Hidemi, the only other one to notice, beamed with pride at his uncle's change and jumped ecstatically as the bird zipped around. When a moment had passed, Strix flew out of the room, over Banderd's head, and back outside into the air where she belonged. Banderd watched her go quickly into the distance, past the walls, towards the Weeping Forest, where her lord waited for her safe return.
"Unity," He chuckled. "I wish I could have understood what it meant sooner."
Freedom brought about by control was not true freedom. But freedom brought about by a desire to change could soar past the highest walls. Banderd quietly laughed to himself, at long last grasping what Arsaes' intent must have been when creating Xastols' laws.
"I'm not sure what it does exactly, but it must be because of how much time I've spent with it," Banderd said, turning to face them all again. He held up the book in his hand and showed it to Ivan. "As I suspected all those years ago, this is no ordinary book. It's some sort of record-holder capable of storing information and Sanctum Essence beyond mortal means."
Ivan and Huin's eyes sharpened immediately.
"But you're not Sanctum Essence! Why is it absorbing you?!" Huin stammered.
"...It's breaking him into Sanctum Essence," Ivan breathed.
All eyes turned to him as he took a nervous step forward.
"Sanctum Essence is the air we breathe — the water we drink. On some level, even our bodies are constructed from it. But why? Why is that thing?!"
Banderd shrugged and stepped back inside with his fading strength. He almost looked completely see-through now.
"I'm being called by our ancestors, Ivan. I'm being summoned by Arsaes."
Hisagi's brow creased just like his uncles'. What could Banderd mean?
"I once told you that this book was written in old Dward and that I couldn't translate it. I never got to tell you why it was written, and that I had finally finished reading it in its entirety today."
The hairs on Ivan's arms rose as he recalled Banderd's words to Gido and Huin. "That is the last line of this Dwixor religious text."
"Funnily enough" Banderd said, "It did turn out to be a diary of sorts. Arsaes' personal diary, written in a language only he could understand and write in. There's nothing all too important other than things that happened in his personal life after the Great Hijra, but he mentions that he who can understand his words is meant to inherit it and serve as the foundation for a new era."
Banderd looked at Hidemi and his friends and smiled. "I'm going to forever be a part of Xastol's history now, thanks to you, nephew. And when you need me again, all you need to do is reach out and call for my guidance. I'll wait for you as long as it takes."
No one understood what Banderd's words truly meant. Not even Hidemi, whose parting words were meant for. Perhaps that was for the best, Banderd thought. It wasn't yet time for them to see the vision Arsaes' words had shown him in the text. Banderd smiled, content with the thought that they would eventually arrive there on their own.
"Once I fade, you'll be able to read my memories," Banderd said. "Just like Arsaes, I suspect that my will and being will be documented on these pages. I want you to read the closing chapters. It's imperative that you do so, Ivan, understand?"
Ivan barely managed to nod, still coming to terms with the idea that his brother was forever fading. There was still so much he wanted to speak about; so much to argue over, and many things he felt they'd kept unresolved. It didn't feel good leaving things like this, and he knew it.
"But… what happens when you're gone?! It's not as if the people will magically take me back, Banderd! You're the Speaker!" He walked up matter-of-factly and grabbed onto his brother's collar. "You need to stay! Take responsibility for everything! Help me clear my name and help me change Xastol — for the better!"
Ivan could feel his fingers slipping through Banderd's hanfu. He judged by the expression Banderd wore that it would be futile, but he couldn't help but heave angrily. He'd done well to keep himself composed for all this time since his arrest, but the pent-up resentment he held for Banderd was fighting its way to the surface.
"For sixteen years I've been hated with no home to return to! I thought I'd do good in helping out the humans — to do the right thing and save lives! I fought tooth and nail to give dwarves a home in the outside world because no matter what any of you might have thought, we deserved to live without fear of being hated!"
A heat found its way under his skin, roaring through his stomach, lungs, and up his neck. "I was hated out there, you know? I knew the risk when I took it, but I didn't think I'd be more hated when I came back…"
Hidemi watched Banderd's eyes soften as his father spoke.
"I was shunned for doing what I thought was right! But my home was stolen from me, my family estranged themselves towards me as if I were less than human, and stood by as my wife and child suffered a pain I'd have died to relieve them from!"
Tears swam down his face and sank into his dirty beard. "But what hurt more just as much, if not more… was that you never said a word in my defense… You abandoned me…"
Silence settled in the room for what felt like eternity as Banderd's body flickered in and out of Ivan's hands. Then Banderd smiled.
"I'll miss you too, Ivan."
Gido and Huin knelt behind them and struggled to hold back their tears.
"Idiot…" Ivan whispered before stepping back. "Till the very end, you remain stubborn, huh?"
"Bad habit," Banderd joked. He hugged him tightly, savoring every passing moment before even his beard became shrouded in light.
"Once I fade, read the book, Ivan. It will explain more than I ever could."
A droplet fell from his eyes. As shameless as it is, I'd like to remain here and help you all, but it cannot be so.
He beckoned Hidemi forward and held out the black book for his nephew to take. Hidemi did as told and came forward, his lips quivering as he did so. He'd always been prone to emotion; he was just very good at hiding it.
"You'll do well," Banderd told him. "I know you will."
The instant the boy's hands touched the books, Banderd scattered, leaving behind only the afterimage of his final smile.
Hidemi sucked in air, still not sure if what he'd just seen was real. His father and uncles firmly shut their eyes and burned the last vestiges of Banderd into their minds before they could forget.
"H-Hidemi..!" Jace stammered. Aleximus looked up to find his brother pointing at Hidemi's hands. The book Banderd had handed him had somehow grown bulkier, as if rejuvenated. This time, instead of a worn and faded book, it was clean, firm, and basked in the energy of Banderd's aura.
Hisagi's eyes darted to the cover, where an incredibly detailed golden dragon had materialized in the middle, its body coiling around a singular letter:
M.
A tear ran down Hidemi's cheek. He couldn't exactly place the reason why he was crying, but he knew this was more than just his uncle. What he held in his hands was precious; something Banderd had gone out of his way to entrust to him specifically. The first thing anyone had ever entrusted to him.
Hidemi wondered if it was because he was usually so spiritually in tune with things and others. Maybe it was due to that that he could feel the overwhelming grief, shame, skill, and sadness flowing from the book. But what made him cry more than all was the equally gripping love that Banderd Murong held for the city of Xastol and everyone who lived in it. With just one touch, Hidemi knew:
His uncle was the most extraordinary dwarf to have ever lived.
"Owa…" he sniffled while wiping his face. He turned to his father and grabbed his hand. Ivan knew what he wanted. He nodded and faced his brothers. "I can't undo years of hatred in a single day, nor do I expect you to suddenly see things the way I always have. However, I'd like to take that first step at communicating with each other. I don't know why yet, but Banderd gave his life to that cause."
Gido and Huin's faces became stern. They knew Ivan's words rang true. But could they really trust him? He was their blood, but he was also the person who murdered their elder brother, Ruo. He was the man who disobeyed their father's orders and joined in a war he had no business being a part of. But above all else, he was also here, when no one else was, ready to open a dialogue with his family at the behest of another brother he'd always disagree with.
That, they thought, deserved some grace at the very least.
"Alright, Ivan," Gido sighed. He and Huin both fixed their robes and sat on the floor. Hisagi and Aleximus were shocked to see such esteemed figures forsake their chairs and choose to speak on the ground, but Jacender and Hidemi welcomed it and moved for a position near the Councilors as well.
"Let's speak," Huin said with a quick push to his glasses. "Let's speak and reveal the truth."
Ivan stopped himself from tearing up by sniffling hard. Then, he crouched low and sat in the circle next to Hidemi, who beckoned Aleximus and Hisagi forward.
They all stared at the book in Hidemi's hands and waited for him to open it.
LRRRRRNNNNNN!!!!
A sound echoed off the book's spine as Ivan flipped its cover, sending shivers down each one of the dwarves there. "Owa," Hidemi smiled. His fingers instinctively moved to a glowing page sticking out of the bulky book and handed it to his father.
And so Ivan begun Banderd's story from a day that had long since passed, not knowing that the secrets he'd unearth today would forever change the course of Xastol forever.
[BANDERD MURONG]