The night was darker than usual. The crescent lining of the moon along with the millions of flickering stars and prominent constellations was a remarkably breathtaking sight.
Riko dressed his wounds and sewed his clothes where it had torn when the icicles pierced through.
Wounded and thus not at his quickest speed, he followed the directions in the map.
Although he had agreed to stay at her's, he still had some doubt about the situation. It was true that he did not have a place to stay or have extravagant amount of money. It was not a matter of just 2-3 days either. The examination was supposed to prolong around 2 weeks.
Altogether, he decided to give up thinking about it soon after.
Reaching at the location, he saw a two storeyed building with a nicely decorated verandah on the upper floor. The street lights were dim. It wasn't the nicest and brightest of the streets he had ever been to, but it still was beautiful in its own way. A faint aroma veiled the atmosphere, there were no signs of litter anywhere and the vines that climbed through the poles of street lights imparted subtle charm to the eyes that appreciated such beauty.
He knocked at the wooden door gently before noticing a door bell which was so small that it did not catch his eye before. He pressed the bell. A standard *ting-tong* rang. The door opened and he was greeted by a young boy of his own age as it seemed.
"Hello, how may I help you?" asked the boy in a welcoming tone. Full sleeves t-shirt and a pair of jeans covered his fair smooth skin. 'Angelic' might be the first word that came to Riko's mind as he took a better look at him. He could almost imagine a halo above his head. It was not just his looks that gave the impression. Of course his looks were a big part, but the vibes and aura around him just felt pristine.
"Is this where Rin stays?"
Letting out a giggle, the boy continued "Yes. Wait a second, let me call her for you."
The boy kept the door slightly ajar and walked near to the staircase before calling aloud "Rin! There's a fan of yours waiting for you. Come down fast."
Saying this, he returned to the door to attend the visitor.
"She is coming, kindly wait for a while."
"I am not a fan of her's, you know."
"Oh, aren't you?" the boy replied with a smile dressing his face.
In just a short while, Rin came to the door.
"Where were you for this long?"
"Ah, it just took a lot more time to finish."
"An acquaintance of yours?" asked the boy.
"Yeah, he is him. That him."
"Oh!"
The boy turned towards Riko and while bending slightly down from his waist, he introduced himself "I am Zen. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"My name is Riko, nice to meet you too."
"Come in" Rin invited.
"Pardon my intrusion."
"No need to state formalities now, won't you be staying here with us?" Zen politely objected.
"Yeah, I will."
Rin offered to tour him through the house. It was a nice, not over the top, yet comfortable accommodation. Through subsequent talks with Rin as they toured the quite a large house, he got to know that they had got the accommodation for nominal charges from the state. The state offered a place for students to stay who were not from that city and could form a group of five to avail a house to themselves. There were thousands of such houses allocated just for the students to stay. That's what one expects from a rich and growing kingdom.
The house looked sophisticated. The interiors were well decorated, yet not anything screaming for attention. The floors Were wooden coloured but not made of wood. The walls were subtly designed. Portraits of all the present kings of Rauda kingdom were hung at various places like the staircase, drawing room and hallway on the first floor. The ground floor had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a restroom and a drawing room, and the first floor had three rooms, a verandah and two restrooms.
"This is your room." said Rin pointing towards the farthest room on the left on the first floor. "I will be staying in the room just beside yours."
"Where are the other two of your friends?"
"They have just gone to the nearby market to buy some grocery. They will be back any minute."
"Oh. Was the guy you had talked about before, the one with light element affinity, Zen?"
"Yes! It's easy to guess right? It just feels like he has descended from heaven. Well, none of us knew how to to cook except him. He takes care of our daily needs like our parent. He really feels like a blessing in disguise. He will be the best person to interact to until you..."
"Until you?"
"Until you try to pry into his past life. There are some things in everyone's life that they don't want to think or talk about, his being his past."
"I understand." Riko replied in a muted voice tilting his head up.
"We all are childhood friends and we know each other quite well. Our strengths, our weaknesses, everything."
"It can be dangerous sometimes, can't it?"
"What can?" Asked a surprised Rin.
"Trusting someone too much."
"Wha..."
Just as Rin was about to comment, a loud shout interrupts their talks.
"I am back!"
"Sheesh, how can he get this loud?"