Edmund wiped his tears and stood straight. In his arms was Edain, with the book, once again wrapped up in blankets. On his shoulder was Damian, with his small smile still on his face even after death. Edmund casted a quick water and air spell to clean the cabin and then exited.
Behind the cabin, Edmund softly placed Damian down in the snow and casted a fire spell to cremate his body. Edmund watched sadly as the fire burnt his friend. When the last of the ashes were taken by the wind, Edmund began his trek home, now accompanied by Edain.
..…..
Elsewhere in the same forest, a special unit was searching for their recently escaped target.
"That slippery imp bastard!" A member of the unit shouted out as he punched a tree, caving in in. "How could he possibly have covered his tracks when he was that injured and bleeding?! He was nearly out of his filthy mana! He could hardly keep moving, let alone cast a spell!" The unit member gripped his hair in rage.
His all white outfit was stained with blood and his faint green hair was dotted with tiny snow flakes. His deep green eyes were filled with rage due to him losing his target.
Suddenly, an overbearing presence appeared behind him. "What is the status on the demon?" A deep and chilly voice resounded behind him.
"Ahh, c-captain, the demon should be close by and we are in pursuit. He is severely injured and bleeding profusely. Even if he does manage to evade us for another hour, he won't manage to survive."
The captain's ice cold grey eyes swept the surrounding area before landing back on the member. His cold voice echoed out, "If this demon is so injured, how has he managed to evade you so throughly?" The member felt chills on his back despite the question containing no threat.
He swallowed hard. "I-I'm not sure, the demon was nearly dead when he made a desperate charge out of the formation, taking many fatal hits on the way. He continued running north, and was obscured by the dense snow storm. We followed his trail until it suddenly veered and vanished."
"So an injured demon that was trapped in your formation… escaped? Then when you tried to track it down, you lost its tracks? You will receive your punishment when we return to the holy land. You will get a demotion at the minimum."
The member clenched his fist with his head down and responded in a subdued voice "Yes, captain." Though in his head he was stomping and cursing, 'Bipolar bastard! If it wasn't for you and your stupid game, the demon would already be dead!' Despite his enraged thoughts, the member would never dare to speak it aloud.
The captain ignored the member and faced north. He stuck his hand out and a pulse of deep orange shot in that direction. The pulse continued for 6 kilometers until it came in contact with a cabin. The faint ashes in the air rejected the holy mana, proving to the captain that there was likely a demon there.
At the signal of the captain, lights of various colors and intensities shot out of the different members before fading back into their bodies. The unit immediately set out for the cabin at a speed that was impossible for normal humans. They arrived there only a few minutes later. They found the remains of a fire but otherwise a clean and unsuspecting cabin.
The captain arrived a while later, as he had only walked at a leisurely pace. When he arrived he immediately placed his hand in the remains of the fire. "The demon is dead. He likely killed himself. The mission is over. This demon was more courageous than others like it, but in the end, it was still a cowardly demon." The captain said the last sentence with disgust permeating into his voice.
"It's safe to say that you guys failed this mission and will be demoted and repositioned." The captain said before turning further north. "Return home. That is all, dismissed." The unit scattered and ran back to their 'holy land'.
..…..
A few weeks had passed and Edmund was about a day away from the village when he felt some movement in his arms. He swiftly set up camp and started a fire. Once finished, he set down Edain and waited for him to finish waking up. Edmund had been pretty worried for the past weeks since Edain never moved a muscle. Edmund had somehow managed to feed him with some difficulty but the only proof that Edain was alive was his slow heart rate. Even his breathing was covered up by a spell placed by Damian.
After about an hour of tossing and turning, the young boy's eyes slowly opened up. They were pitch black like his hair and had a calm feeling in them. He sloppily gazed around as he was waking up.
"Mom…? Dad…?" Edain looked confused and slightly scared when he didn't see his parents. All his life, his parents were always nearby. He had never been without at least one of them.
Edmund was sad but knew he had to say something. He took a deep breath and began, "Hello Ed, my name is Edmund, your parents… aren't here… so I will be taking care of you for a while. Do you understand?" Edmund said this in his most soothing voice but he wasn't sure it was enough.
Edain looked around again but upon not seeing his parents, tears formed in his eyes. Despite not understanding Edmund's words, the absence of his parents helped him figure out what Edmund meant.
The tears ran from his eyes and his lips crumpled, but he didn't cry out. This made Edmund's eyes to moisten, but he knew he couldn't cry now, it would only make things worse. So he picked up Edain and brought him into a hug. "It's okay, I will take care of you. Don't worry, it's okay. It's okay…"
This went on for a while until Edain fell asleep. Edmund stomped out the fire and began the rest of the trip home. Edain woke up a few times but it seemed that whatever kept him asleep during most of the journey was still affecting him.
The following day, the two were finally nearing the village. Edmund wrapped the sleeping Edain in the blankets and placed him in his travel bag that he emptied for him.
The forest began getting sparse as it came to an end. In front of the forest was a raging river of crystal clear water. It seemed as if anyone who stepped in would be swept away, never to be seen again. Over the river laid two bridges. One being a large, sturdy stone bridge which led directly to the village gate. The other was a small wooden bridge that seemed to have been left forgotten. The wooden bridge was a good distance further downstream. Wear and tear from the years of abuse by the river was evident even from a distance and the natural fauna of the area seemed to have dominated the bridge.
Beyond the gates was the village square with multiple shops and houses. In the center was a slightly raised platform for any events the village may hold.
As Edmund crossed the stone bridge and neared the village gates, people's scornful gazes fell upon him. Many silently sneered while others openly laughed. They all knew what had happened prior to Edmund's departure. Coincidentally, the green haired member who was punished for his failure in the forest was on guard duty.
Seeing Edmund, his deep green eyes curled mischievously. He had finally an idea on how to have some fun in his demotion and maybe even get his position back.
Loudly, the member spoke, "Oh if it isn't Edmund, the failure of the village. Done with your temper tantrum?" A few nearby people laughed at this show and gathered around. They all knew the story of how Edmund's wife was taken as a side piece to the chief and how it was only to spite Edmund. They all saw when Edmund was openly ridiculed by the chief for trying to talk with 'his' woman.
"Well Eddy? Are you ready to apologize to the chief for trying to seduce his woman? Or are you going to continue acting like a petulant child?" The member continued to egg on Edmund. 'Come on, fight me! Lash out like you always do! I know you aren't over it yet!' If the member could just get Edmund to start a fight with him, the chief could throw Edmund in jail. Then the member would be rewarded by the chief.
Surprisingly to everyone, Edmund remained calm. "Carlos, good to see you, I thought you were promoted to the advanced team." Edmund said with a grin. "And as for apologizing to my brother, if he really needs it he can send his men to get me."
"It's the chief to you! And I was only temperamentally demoted for a mission that didn't go well. The demon died in the end anyway." Carlos huffed. The people that had gathered laughed at Carlos. When he was first promoted, he bragged to the whole village. This was a good chance to get back at him.
There was a slight change in Edmund's expression as the word demon was spoken, but it went unnoticed. "Yes yes, the chief, not my brother. Well I'll be on my way. I'm sure there is still a mess from when I left."
"Irritating bastard…" Carlos sighed. "Tell the chief that Edmund is back and somehow calmer than ever." Carlos commanded his juniors in the guard. They quickly complied because, as annoying as he may be, Carlos was still their superior.
....
Edmund entered his house that was covered in months of dust and debris from his fight with his brother.
To call it a fight would be an overstatement because it was so one sided. They used to be an even match, but Edmund is much weaker than before.
His bag started moving showing that Edain was waking up. Edmund walked into the living room and opened the bag, sitting Edain on the couch. Edain woke up and once again saw his parents missing. He'd cried the first few times waking up along the journey, but he's grown used to their absence now.
"Good morning Ed, this will be your home for a while. It's a bit messy right now but I will clean up. Okay?" Edain didn't understand much but nodded anyway. "Good."
Once Edmund finished a simple cleaning the living room with Edain watching over him curiously, he sat down beside Ed and reached into his bag. He pulled out a book that had been well wrapped in a blanket. It was the book that Edain had with him. It was the last item that Damian brought with him. It was time to read the book.