"For the biggest ritual that will ever be performed, The Blood Sacrifice."
That's what I heard from all three of them. Nothing more, nothing less. I couldn't believe how the topic went around and back to square one.
I was losing my mind.
And I couldn't focus on the training either.
"He wants power." Master Enoch said in one of his assessment sessions. "If he's taking the noble's blood, then he's asking for power. He's offering it to the gods, for power."
That sentence knocked my brains out. To the gods? Where are the gods?
Why would the gods be happy when the amount of blood shed is more than the amount of water resources left?
I did not see anyone else fuss about this other than me. They weren't surprised one bit.
And I found out why.
"Gods are everything to us." Judah held his chest tightly when I asked him on the training grounds. "Gods were the ones who gave us these abilities that we hone today."
"We call them Divine Entities." Jonan added.
I had reached a point where I held my head in my hands one night and tried to take in everything thrown at me after seventeen years of being kept in the shade.
Did that mean Gods were real? What's to prove?
"Makes no sense." I snapped.
"I know." They had agreed.
The days went by and I didn't realise I had gained enough strength to carry my father's sword in my hands without trouble. I found out Wallace could heal faster than normal humans could, since he had great physical strength as being a part of Necos clan with their blood flowing through him.
And I also learnt that it had been a month and a half exactly since I had come to Oldwest Town, and the way I'm progressing was all about me being a half noble too, which actually bothered me for a while.
I definitely don't want to be recognised as a half noble and superior to commoners but inferior to nobles.
I was tidying up my bed and belongings since I heard from the masters that we might be shifting to the capital soon, when I heard Wallace and Judah barge into our shared room.
I haven't seen this pair together in a long time. Not since that day Judah picked on him.
"Ayo, Quinn, we're moving to the capital in three days or so." Wallace clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"But," Judah stopped on his tracks to look at me. "Tomorrow, there's a fest in the town, and so we're going to spend time enjoying rather than the training."
"Say what?" I gasped, immediately reaching forward and getting down the bunker. "We're gonna be let out, tomorrow?"
"That's right." Wallace rolled his eyes and pushed past me to his own bunker. "Boring. Why don't we have another round of tournament fight?"
"Are you that keen on losing again?" I heard Ronan scoff at Wallace as he entered the room.
"I will win this time. I've trained harder than ever." Wallace glared at him.
"Do whatever." Judah shrugged. "But don't get in trouble. I'll be out there in the town."
"Me too!" I added. "I'll post my letter to my sister."
I wrote a letter a few days ago. I didn't write much, just a little bit on what was going on. There wasn't a lot to tell a twelve year old, she should rest assured.
"A letter?" Wallace pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket. "Is this yours? You left it back at the Assessment room."
I looked at that, a glint of mischief oozing out through his face.
"No, give it back." My jaw dropped, reaching out to grab the paper out of his hands but he was fast. He immediately hopped up and held the paper away from me.
"Do you mind if I read?" He laughed, and I hadn't seen him laugh that way this whole time.
"I wanna know too." Judah smiled, sitting down on Ronan's bunker.
"Let's hear it." Ronan stated plainly.
Were we close enough to be reading each other's letters? Were we that close?
Two months, and yes, I was able to connect with them, but I still felt out of place.
"No way-"
"Dear Aenor," Wallace pushed me back on my feet. "Is Aenor your sister?"
Guess I couldn't help it. He was already reading it out loud.
I looked down. There really wasn't a lot that I wrote in that letter, but it still was embarrassing.
"Yes." I said, biting my lip.
"Dear Aenor, I'm writing from Oldwest town. This place is amazing, I walked through the streets when I first came here. It's a typical big town mother had always spoken about." Wallace gave me a confused eyebrow raise. "I will bring you here with me again, and we can both have fun with all the friends I made."
"Who are the friends?" Ronan asked.
Shit, this was really, completely, absolutely embarrassing.
"You all." I didn't look up, but I felt the stares on me.
Silence. I received silence.
Was I wrong?
I glanced up at the three of them.
"Uh-" Judah cleared his throat. "So, moving on."
Were they flustered? They definitely looked like they were. I gulped, heat rushing up to my face to match with the other guys present in the room.
"And once everything is over," Wallace continued to read out my letter. "And once everything is over, You and I can move out of Rustwood and live like we always wanted to. So, take care, Aenor. I'll come back alive. I'll keep my promise. Love, Quinn."
Wallace finished reading it out loud, but he still went through it again, shrugging in the midst.
"Rustwood?" Ronan questioned. "That town? You're from there?"
"What do you mean?" I chuckled awkwardly.
"That's a pretty small town. Couldn't bear seeing how underdeveloped it was."
"Yes, I know." I said. "That's the difference between us, afterall."
"No-" Judah opened his mouth, but closed it back again. He knew it was the truth, and it couldn't be changed.
No one spoke.
I stood up and snatched the letter from Wallace. He flinched, when I did so, and I shoved it into my own pocket.
"Thank you for picking it up for me." I told Wallace, and I didn't want to waste any time waiting for replies. I walked out of the room.
I wasn't angry or disappointed. I just wanted to go a day without feeling inferior to everyone around me. I wasn't a commoner but I lived like one.
I wanted to turn everything around. I hated this feeling in my chest, sinking deeper and deeper as if there was a void in me that was absorbing all my emotions. I felt empty from the inside.
Helpless, and forced.
I hated it.