Thereabout Southum, at dusk.
Adventurers Jorael and Cyn'Thia had arrived at the biggest city of the south region of the Human Empire, the reference point of the whole area. From far away, sitting in the onion carriage, they could gaze at the wondrous pink-orange light of the setting Red Sun, reflecting upon the roofs of the stone houses and palaces that composed the town.
"What a sight to behold!" Cyn'Thia exclaimed out loud whilst admiring the scenery.
"Umpf… savages of slaves…" the coachman commented harshly.
"Master, may I silence this puny Human?" the Elf asked with contempt.
"No, take it easy as we're almost there" Jorael replied to calm down his aide.
"I'll smell like onions for days…" complained Cyn'Thia smelling herself.
"Hmm… I might have a solution." said the thoughtful Traveler.
"NO! Master please refrain to use any spell!" suddenly yelled the Elf recalling what occurred the last time.
"Fine. We should…" was saying Jorael but got abruptly interrupted by the man holding the reins that suddenly screamed:
"NOW GET OUT!
I can't take any more of you two talking, being all lovey-dovey…
Find an inn boy, and just fuck her! Ah ah ah!"
The duo immediately got out of the cart, and the Elf began cursing the rude man in Ancient Elven.
"Woah, you weren't so polite and nice towards him…" Jorael commented.
"Humans like him make me give in to the temptation to hate their whole race…" whispered Cyn'Thia while shaking her head in disappointment.
The carriage disappeared in a side alley of the main street and as the Traveler was looking around in Southum suburbs partly shadowed by the impending night, he said:
"Well, we should really find an inn I suppose now..."
…
Traveling through the town's streets, they found an inn near the central city's square and they entered to find food and lodging. After asking for a room and consuming a satisfying meal, they headed to the assigned room and as Jorael opened the door, he commented:
"Finally, I remembered to take a room with two beds!"
"If you find it more comfortable this way..." said a bit disappointed Cyn'Thia as she was approaching a bed.
"Fine then, goodnight and sleep well?" Jorael said jumping straight on the other bed.
"Goodnight." quickly replied the Elf ready to sleep as she was covering herself with blankets.
The only thing left for the Traveler to do was trying to sleep.
...
The night swiftly passed, and it was early morning, with faint light rays entering from the room's window, signaling the beginning of a new day.
"What's this sensation?!" thought Jorael while keeping his eyes closed, still half-asleep, trying to figure out what was touching him.
He slowly turned around a little and opened his eyes to find Cyn'Thia was with him on his bed. The exotic elven beauty was still sleeping, with her face emitting a faint adorable smile.
"There's no escape from this... Miranda, please note that I had the best intentions renting the room with two beds..." thought the Traveler whilst trying to distance himself from the warmth emanating from Cyn'Thia's body.
"Good morning, Master..." whispered the Elf with her eyes still closed.
"W-wha...G-good morning!" Jorael exclaimed took by surprise.
"Master, before you start complaining, I slept in my bed, but you were having nightmares so I came here to try to calm you" explained Cyn'Thia as she opened her azure and green eyes, staring at her master's eyes.
"S-so you helped me again, t-thank you!" Jorael replied with gratitude while staring back at his companion's eyes.
"Master, I'm sorry to ask this as it may sound invasive on mine part, but who is Miranda and Elijah?" the Elf asked with curiosity.
"Hmm... why?" asked back the Traveler without replying.
"It's been some nights you keep crying their names, so I was wondering..." Cyn'Thia replied worried.
"They are part of my family..." Jorael answered with grief.
"Are they not here anymore like your parents?" asked again the Elf.
"They never were here in the first place..." replied enigmatically the Traveler.
"Master, I do not understand..." said Cyn'Thia confused.
"I'm afraid I do not understand too..." whispered back Jorael.
"It's said time will heal the scars in your heart. I find it not true at all.
The wounds do not heal, you only learn how to deal with them at best.
I haven't seen nor heard my mother, my father, and my brother for a century. They still mean something to me, even though my father Cyn'Trayn exiled me, I still care for them and I don't harbor hate for his decision." explained Cyn'Thia with teary eyes.
"Why did your father exile you?" curiously asked Jorael.
"Because... I've sinned.
I killed a sacred beast, even if it was by mistake and it was an accident, my arrow perforated a Silver Deer's neck, bringing upon it its undeserved demise." the Elf replied with sorrow.
"Hmm... I studied back in Vas'Anellir that Silver Deer are regarded as holy creatures for you Elves, strictly related to your God Landris.
But still to exile her daughter over an accident..." said Jorael but got interrupted by Cyn'Thia yelling:
"No! I understand what my father did! Accident or not I have sinned.
May Landris still guide me in this life and the afterlife."
After few seconds of silence passed, and then Jorael asked:
"Don't you have the desire to come back to check on the Realm?"
"Of course I have this desire!" replied the Elf upset.
"Hmm... we'll find a way..." whispered Jorael.
"Master, this cannot be done.
I, as exiled, will face death if I head back to the Realm; but is not death the thing that scares me the most.
It's God Landris' judgment." exclaimed Cyn'Thia desperately.
"We'll see about that..."
...
Southum piazza, later in the morning.
The two adventurers were admiring the marble statue of the Fasting Emperor, standing proudly in the center of a beautiful ornate fountain. By an eye's glimpse, Jorael saw in the corner of the square a smaller marble statue figuring a man, not praised as the Emperor's monument.
Jorael moved by curiosity approached the sculpture in the corner and as he was getting closer, he could easily tell by dust and dirt that the statue was left there almost forgotten and not well maintained as the other one.
He read on the metal plate sightly rusted the man's name: "Martyn the Wanderer"
"Oh! I remember this one!" exclaimed Jorael moved by old memories.
"Who is this man, Master?" asked Cyn'Thia as she arrived at his side.
"My, my, how nice seeing young people admiring the forgotten Martyn..." suddenly interrupted an old female voice coming from the adventurers' back.
Cyn'Thia and Jorael turned back to see who was talking to them to find an old woman that was slowly approaching them. She was little and thin, with long grey hair arranged in an elegant hairstyle, brown dull eyes, and a face marked by the signs of aging. She talked again as she reached the duo:
"Do you know the story of the Wanderer?"
"No Madam, my Master was about to tell me..." replied Cyn'Thia.
"My, my, sorry for the intermission then..." whispered the old woman.
"No kind Madam, nothing to excuse here, feel free to tell the tale to my aide" said Jorael.
The old woman nonchalantly proceeded to tell the story by memory perfectly as written in the book Jorael read when he was a child with his father.
"It seems a nice tale, Madam" Cyn'Thia politely said to the old lady.
"Tale? my, my, you can say that I guess...
What most people don't know is that Martyn was born here in Southum." explained the woman.
"What? really? so it's not a tale for children?" asked Jorael took by surprise.
"Think what you feel... my son loved this story when he was a child... wait, young boy!
May I take a closer look at your sword?!" suddenly asked the old lady staring at the weapon's hilt emerging from Jorael's sheath on his belt.
"Yes of course! Here you can watch it closely!" replied the Traveler unsheathing his sword.
"!"
The old woman's face suddenly filled with joy. It was as if he had had an illumination, and the face of hers was invigorated and irradiated by a new hope.
"What is it, Madam?!" Jorael asked after seeing the woman trembling.
"T-this sword ... is unmistakably the weapon my family has carried for many generations!" answered the old lady.
"What?!" exclaimed the Traveler shocked.
"Yes... this red ruby on the hilt. There is no mistake.
Young boy, I have to ask, how did you obtain this sword?!" asked the woman.
"Uhm...it's a memento of my father he had received from a former adventurer..." Jorael lied.
"F-former adventurer?! Where he is now?!" asked the old lady.
"Unfortunately, my father did not know as he had never seen him again..." lied again the Traveler.
The expression of joy on the face of the woman abruptly collapsed into melancholy, and then she began sighing.
"What's the matter, Madam?" asked Cyn'Thia confused.
"As I said, it's unmistakably the sword of my family. A relic entrusted decades ago to my only son disappeared without a trace in the Dark Forest long ago...
If he had not taken the adventurer way, I have no doubt he would have become Southum's Flower instead of Dahlia..." explained the old woman with sadness.
What seemed a faint clue, suddenly became a huge realization for Jorael that now he asked:
"Madam, if you are really sure that this weapon is your property, I have no reason to keep it.
You can take it ..."
The Traveler knelt and with his hands holding the weapon, he offered the old woman the sword that he kept as a memento of his departed father.
"You may rise young boy. You can keep it.
If my son entrusted your family with it, I'll trust his judgment.
May I know your name?" asked the old woman smiling.
"It's Jorael. May I know the name of your son?"
"It's Roland. Roland Reignier.
It was nice seeing Crimson Justice again after all this time.
May that sword bring you more luck than its predecessor.
I bid you farewell." said solemnly the old woman before leaving.
The Traveler stopped thinking as lighting stuck him, and couldn't even salute the woman that left.
"M-master, are you all right?" asked Cyn'Thia worried.
"I've... I've just met my grandmother...
I don't even know what her name is…
I wasn't even able to tell her about her son, my father." whispered back Jorael nearly shedding tears.
"G-grandma?!" shouted the Elf stunned.
"...
I don't know what's worse. Not knowing anything or knowing everything.
I don't know if I would have been able to tell her the truth, or if she could have handled it.
Please, let's go on the road to Green Harbor, I need time to think about this..." ordered Jorael.
"Yes, I understand Master" said Cyn'Thia as she and the Traveler were walking away from the plaza.
...
Later, in the southern streets of Southum, the adventurers were exiting the city when suddenly the door of a building swung open, with a young woman hastily running out.
"Boss! please wait for us!" shouted a male voice inside of the building to the woman.
"Nope! I'm in a hurry! Need to go to Green Harbor as fast as I can!
Catch me if you can, slowpokes!" she shouted as she was entering a carriage parked on the side of the building.
"Green Harbor?!" Cyn'Thia whispered as she watched the whole scene unfold in front of her, and immediately after, a thought crossed her mind as Jorael was still lost pondering the recent event. The Elf gained some courage, approached the woman, and she asked:
"Madam, are you going to Green Harbor? I'm sorry I heard your talk, but we are adventurers who are in a hurry to reach that city due to an emergency mission..."
"Eh... really?! say no more! Helping citizens is my priority!
Come on, get on the carriage before those idiotic soldiers!" yelled arrogantly the woman grabbing Cyn'Thia's arm to help her get on the coach.
"T-thanks Madam!... w-wait, soldiers?!" asked Cyn'Thia worried while she grabbed Jorael's arm asking for help as she was being forcefully pulled by the woman.
"What is happening?!" cried the Traveler as he awoke from his thoughts of him.
"M-master, I don't know what she's done but Madam is going to Green Harbor…
And also, she's running away from soldiers!" explained the Elf.
"Stop with this madam thing, I hate that... call me Veronica!" shouted the woman taking the horses' reins as guards rashly exited from the palace, panting and yelling: "No Boss! Don't leave us here!"
"YAH!" hurriedly screamed Veronica snapping the reins and making the horses neigh loudly.
The coach immediately began riding away, with Jorael still on the ground that screamed:
"WOAH! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"Master! Get on quickly!" shouted Cyn'Thia.
The guards were running and chasing them, while the Traveler with a superhuman leap jumped on the coach that was speeding through the city outskirts.
"Eh eh eh, to Green Harbor we go! YAH!" maniacally yelled Veronica snapping continuously the reins.
"Who are you?" yelled Jorael as soon as he landed next to Cyn'Thia.
"Already told you… I'm V-e-r-o-n-i-c-a."
"Are you running away from the guards?" asked again the Traveler.
"Yes… but actually no.
You don't have to worry about them…" replied Veronica.
"Do you know that you are not very convincing?!" exclaimed Jorael while sighing.
"Oh, poor little boy with a slave, scared of some good-for-nothing soldiers…
More importantly, what's the name of you two?" the woman asked after mocking the Traveler.
"Madam Veronica, he's Jorael my Master, and I'm Cyn'Thia.
I appreciate your kindness for letting us ride with you to Green Harbor!" said the Elf whilst bowing her head.
"Would you cut it out already with this Madam thing?
Boy, tell your slave to stop calling me like that…" replied Veronica upset.
"Sigh… I feel like this will be a long and head-ache-inducing trip…" complained Jorael, but unexpectedly a thought took him like a bolt from the blue, a sudden realization he had not figured out yet. He slowly got closer to Cyn'Thia's face, and concerned by the abrupt approach she embarrassingly said while blushing:
"Uhm… M-master?!"
He didn't care about her reaction, because he only had one thing on his mind to get rid of. And so, he slowly whispered in Cyn'Thia's pointy ear:
"My name is… Jorael Reignier."