A strong gust of wind blew at the window of the room that Aeon was currently sleeping at. Not being locked, the window swung wide open, making a soft creaking sound.
This sound was gentle and would usually be negligible. However, the current tenant of the room did not ignore it.
The blanket of the only bed in the room was slashed into two and was thrown aside. Aeon jumped out of the bed, still wearing his full set of clothes and equipped with his swords. He stared at the window with knitted brows while assuming a battle stance.
It was only after a few moments did he realize that he had been wrong.
There were no enemies.
He woke up from his sleep when he heard some noise and prepared himself for combat by instinct.
No monsters were charging at him.
He stared at the torn blanket with regret and sat on the bed. He gently placed the two swords beside him as he contemplated.
It was his first night sleeping outside the labyrinth in more than half a year. It was plain to see that he was not used to the peacefulness just yet. The horrors of that place were still branded in his being.
Although he was able to survive and successfully exit the labyrinth, truth be told, it wasn't achieved by standing at the top of the food chain. He did it by being clever, utilizing every advantage that the labyrinth gave a rat like him. He became capable of slaying beasts more than five times his height. Even those that could use magic too. But there were still those insurmountable mountains that Aeon couldn't defeat. Those, he avoided at all costs. And those haunted him every day.
Aeon heaved a breath of relief and reassured himself that he was safe.
He got up to lock the window then gingerly picked up the torn pieces of the blanket.
After that, Aeon went back to sleep.
….
"What do you mean I have to pay for a torn blanket?! Ah, I know! This is a scam!"
Jax raged at the store owner as Aeon slowly crept towards the door.
For a few minutes, Aeon just observed the scenery with a smile on his face. He watched the hustle and bustle of the streets, the wagons driving by, the small animals walking around… everything!
He reminded himself that he was now back in civilization. That he was back in human society.
And it felt really good.
Just thinking about him being back in Meredith Empire was enough to put a smile on Aeon's face.
The three left the inn then went to buy another horse. After stopping by a few shops to refill their supplies, they headed out once more.
Before dark, they should be able to arrive in Fermin Town.
Jax and Thrain were discussing what to explain to their leader when they get back. Their mission had a lot of weight, so they knew they were gonna get it, having achieved nothing. The two threw questions at each other, back and forth, trying to guess which ones their leader would ask them. Then, whenever they agreed that it was a possible question, they'd come up with an excuse.
Hearing them, Aeon's eyelids couldn't help twitching. He couldn't even count how many times his name popped up in that conversation. And, every time, he would turn to look, thinking that they were calling him.
After some time, he managed to learn how to completely ignore the two. And just to top it off, he sped up with his horse, putting quite some distance between them.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
Aeon was finally able to think without being bothered. Right now, he was imagining himself returning to his hometown.
He couldn't wait to meet his father!
He should be roaming around Mistfall by now.
….
"Is he still listening?" Jax asked in a hushed tone.
"No. It seems like he's distracted, thinking about something," Thrain replied. "He shouldn't be able to hear from this distance too."
Their plan to annoy Aeon finally worked.
Jax sighed with emotion. He had been worrying since last night because they actually lied to Aeon!
A big lie at that! A gigantic one!
"Shit! How do we explain to him that his father didn't come back? This is all because of you!"
Thwack!
"Ow!" Thrain shrank back and pulled his horse a bit farther from Jax's. "Dude if we told him the truth, he would've killed us both on the spot out of rage! You can see how he acts. He's impulsive!"
"Tsk!"
"Besides, we don't really need to tell him. Just avoid the topic!"
….
The previous day, Aeon vaguely told them about the reason why he was stuck in Mt. Eirene.
Aeon said quite a lot, but the spies knew he was still holding some information back. He hid some information, and he was quite good at it. He added some valuable ones into the mix, making his claims believable. Doing such would quickly earn the other party's trust.
Unfortunately for Aeon, he revealed something that the spies were able to exploit.
He mentioned his father's release.
Hearing this, the two immediately realized an issue…
They had no data on Devon Morgan!
His whereabouts were unknown, eight months in. Come to think of it, it should have been a big issue. But they got nothing.
The two were not stupid. They weren't born yesterday. Them being spies but not knowing about a crucial piece of information could only mean that the higher-ups were deliberately not talking about it.
The moment Aeon said that, Thrain interrupted, "Yeah, your dad is fine back in the capital."
He said it quite naturally as if it were a fact.
It was quick thinking! But only from the perspective of an enemy. Now, he was basically fooling an ally.
Jax wanted to take the statement back, but the die has already been cast. He could only go along with the facade.
The fact is, he was also curious about the disappearance of the marshall. A lot of mages outside Fermin Town came from Sera City, the city where Devon Morgan should have been kept. If that was the case, why didn't they bring him along? If they did, they would've been in a much more favorable situation.
There was absolutely no point in them leaving such a person behind. He was a national treasure, for crying out loud!
For Jax, the only reason why they would not bother bringing him along was because… he was already dead.
Dead.
Killed by foreign enemies.
If those people were able to take over Lerith, then it wouldn't be impossible to kill a cripple. Even if that cripple was Devon Morgan.
Thrain must've thought about this too. Even though he was a muscle head, he was still a spy and had the brain of one.
If they told Aeon that his father didn't come back and that the people from the Florentine Empire didn't bring him back either…
What would he have done to them?
Jax didn't want to find out. As spies, they had extreme training. But in front of Aeon Morgan, they seemed like puppies. They didn't know how this was possible. He was probably only 20 years old.
But they could see it with their own eyes. And they could feel it.
His strength.
Looking at the person riding ahead of them, Jax could feel the shadow of a beast, and it made him uneasy.
He hoped that Aeon would only know about his father when they finally part.
….
Eleven hours later, they arrived outside Fermin Town.
There, hundreds of tents were set up.
"This is where we part ways. This should be enough proof that we were telling the truth," Thrain told Aeon with a smile.
Hearing this, Jax gritted his teeth.
This meathead is too damn disrespectful!
Before Aeon could reply, Jax inserted between the two and explained, "Sir, as much as we would like to personally bring you to the capital, we have other responsibilities to take care of. But don't worry, we already sent a letter to the palace yesterday. Escorts should arrive here to come and pick you up."
"Mn," Aeon nodded while staring at the tents, "I can take it from here."
Thankfully, he wasn't offended, Jax thought. He stared at the smiling Thrain with a frown.
Then, they left.
Aeon moved forward and walked in the edges of the small community.
It was already dusk, so the sky was quite dim. The only source of light that the people in that community had were their bonfires. They didn't even have gas lamps or candles.
They shouldn't have much food either because they had no place to hunt. They weren't permitted to enter the forests nearby. They were probably living off of the supplies that they brought along with them and probably some animals that wandered around that they were able to sneakily kill.
Would they be forced to enter dangerous lands just to get some more food? Aeon wanted to think that there were other ways.
To think mages were reduced to live such a lifestyle. They had always been prestigious.
How did things come to this?
Aeon wanted to go find someone he knew to ask some questions when he saw someone staring at him from afar.
It was a familiar figure.
Her thin frame, her free-flowing black hair, and her glasses…
If her hair was a bit shorter, she would've looked exactly like the Korona Arvent that Aeon remembered eight months ago.
Seeing her, Aeon smiled gently.
....
Korona felt hot tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Out of emotion, she casted a spell. She skidded on ice and closed the distance between him and Aeon in a matter of seconds.
When they finally came face to face with each other, Korona covered her mouth to stop herself from sobbing.
It was really Aeon.
The two hugged.
Lots of people started coming out of their tents. The commotion caused by Korona using magic caught the nearby people's attention.
Looking at the two people hugging, quite a few reacted.
But the one who reacted greatly was the tall man who always had his hands behind his back. His pointy eyebrows raised in disbelief. But then, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
After an emotional reunion, the two separated from each other.
"You're… alive?" Korona asked while still sobbing.
Aeon pinched his cheek in front of his friend. He pretended to be hurt then replied, "Looks like it!"
Aeon expected Korona to smile, but then…
Thwack! Thud! Tak!
Korona started beating him.
"We didn't even know that you were going to the mountain. How would you feel if you just find out one day that your friend is already dead, huh? You piece of..."
Korona continued battering Aeon, and the latter just took it. He listened as Korona let out all her frustrations on him regarding his sudden disappearance.
The beating was quite painful, Aeon thought. But it shouldn't be more painful than losing a friend.
Aeon kept silent.
When Korona was finally done, Aeon looked around him. There, he saw familiar faces.
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