Chapter 3 – Prologue 3
Subsequently, Cray high school life got altered to one where he no longer had to hid in teachers' vicinity nor he had to ran home like a frightened rabbit. He went out of the school gate with a pride and a smile on his face. As for the bullying, it resumed just like ay other day, but Cray no longer taking part in it, either as the bullied nor as the bully. What about other kids you say? Why would Cray even give a sh/t? no one stood up for him back when he got beaten up black and blue, nor associated even once with him. Friends? Inside Cray's dictionary, a friend-to-friend relationship can only happen when both of the party have the same authority. Outside of it, it's only a relation between a lacky with their leader where one bark and the wrest wag their tails or try their best to pleased the one that barked. He used to fantasize on having a best buddy just like in many comics and stories of old. Yet now, the thought instigated him to spat.
The training at that old man Tian's place, still being participated by Cray. Even if it was only a mean on obtaining the tool to get rid of his difficulties, he still diligently took part in it. Mainly, his reason is to meet the now not so much petite girl called Orchelia. Two years of acquaintance, ultimately made the two closers, a weird relation between a punching bag and a furious boxing addict took place for quite sometimes. It was only bloomed into something more once another 2 years passed. Yet, one was calling the dinners, movie hangouts, and flower bouquets as dates and romantic gifts while the other calling them meal treat and going to theatres. Leastwise, the flower bouquets were accepted and kept.
Nothing much had changed even after the pair graduated from their respective school aside from they entered the same university due to the lack of existing higher education institute other than the one they were in. the male took an engineering degree and the female took an economy degree. Eventually receiving theirs' in three years.
The male once tried on a kiss, and a kiss he receives indeed. But not with the female's lips,. He didn't try for another one since the first time he got a dislocated jaw in return which made him sigh in disappointment whenever he recalls it. If only he planned it better, he would have his first kiss regardless if it was only a peck and with the same aching jaw afterwards.
And so, we finally caught up to the present, a twenty-eight years old Cray now working as a manager at a car manufacture company in his city and his little orchid works as an accountant in a building contractor company. Yet still no progression on the relation of the two. Cray's mom also had retired. As unwillingly she was, against her son's relentless and persistence argument. She finally gave in, and sent her resignation to her friend. Her friend was so reluctant on signing the resignation since Cray's mom was so helpful to her, yet she finally signed the paper with many thanks from Cray's mom. Cray's mom described her friend's kindness as 'giving her coals in her coldest winter'. The mother and her son moved to a better estate which they bought at last. It was a medium size house not too small to be called hut nor too big to be called mansion.. just large enough for three people live comfortably.
Not a bad life overall right?
WRONG.
Winter arrives to the republic of Zendlore, Cray leaves his workplace after a day of managing the marketing of the company. He knocks the door of his home and open it, where he sees his mom who's knitting a scarf of some sorts. She greeted her son with a 'welcome home dear', she put down her knitting needle and produce a letter with a still fresh orchid attached to it.
"it's from your little girlfriend" she giggled like a teenage girl watching a romance drama.
"Cray laughed, take the letter and remarked "who even use this letter writing thing nowadays"
He opened the letter. However, the smile in his face soon turns into a frown, and finally a frenzied dialling a number on his smartphone.
What he hears from the phone call is not a ringtone, but a no longer active number voice message. He throws the letter to the ground and head to his room massaging the coming frustration.
The smile on Cray's mom also disappears and a worried feeling sprouts.
"She picks up the lying letter from the floor and scans it. What she sees is a short message written with quite the messy handwriting. There are also many tiny wrinkly spots, similar to when a paper got splashed by water and got dried. It says,
"I'm sorry, I, I getting married next month. Please I beg you not try to find me, I, I should tell you about my family but, I'm really sorry"
The light brown hair middle age woman stood in a daze for quite sometimes after reading the short letter. Then she rushes to her son's room and ask if he's okay. It's a dumb question no doubt, yet she asked it anyway since she is also confused.
Cray sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his swelling forehead.
"Dammit, you stupid orc, you should have told me, if it's just about money, wee could of slowly save it for your family, you don't have to got married off to some perverted old geezer, even if it's an arranged one, we could just move away from this sh/t hole of a republic and tell that b/stard to f/ck himself, you, me and my mom could just buy a place at the empire or in the kingdom, GOD dammit"
He spent the night pondering a way to get to his stupid orc and unconsciously fell asleep. Awaking the next morning, he had a brisk shower and skipped breakfast all together. Not heating his mom's worried advices for him. he then visits the office where she works. Nevertheless, all of her colleagues don't even have her number. They said that she had already resigned since four days ago. Besides that, she hardly ever strokes a conversation, unless it was necessary one for her work. He followed his search by going to her apartment. Yet, the landlord says that she already moved out a week before.
Same goes for Cray's mom efforts, she found nothing after asking her friend to look up for an application with the name 'Orchelia" in her company nor the companies which have a good connection to her friend's. she hung out the call with her friend with a 'sorry for troubling you' and a reply for her friend saying 'it's okay, if you need any hand, just give me a call'.
Oblivious to the time, when she put her phone down, she finally notices that the sky outside has turned black from the window pane. The evening sky got even darker due to the winter cloud. But her son hasn't come home yet. She waited and waited till the clock on the wall is showing the time of 3:00 in the morning. Her son finally opens the door to their home once it's already 3:30.
What she is seeing in front of her, is twenty-eight years old with a flushed cheeks and stumbling on his steps. She's not smelling any weird perfumes on him, just a stinging sent of alcohols.
"What are you doing dear? It won't help you on finding her by getting drunk"
His mom reminded him concerning his current state. He ignored her nonetheless. What use of not to, he is already at the end of the road on searching for his little orchid. It's like she just evaporates and gone without any traces.
He does his daily routine of taking shower, going to work, eat lunch, going to the bar, go home, and sleep like a badly oiled machine. All the while, his mom concerns for him grew and grew. His colleagues also worried, seeing him walking and talking with empty gazes. Yet, after noticing his work performance is not effected by the weird behaviours.
It is the twentieth time for Cray sitting on top of the right most barstool, the female bartender with a revealing outfit still mixing the cocktails of her patrons orders and trying to flirt with him. the men and women also just dancing, flirting and making marry with the beating music as their background as usual. When suddenly, all of their mobile phones lit up by themselves, playing the same message from the government.
"to all citizens of Zendlore, we have discovered a hostile army of uncrowned origins, we have been confronting this hostile army side to side with the Holy Nation of Virinvure, The Empire of Outhelland, And The Kingdom of Irgothile. The conflict with the Holy Nation of Virinvure had been ceased in prioritizing the confrontation with the unknown hostiles. We are encouraging for the citizens living in the cities or towns closest to the border between Zendlore and Holy Nation of Virinvure to evacuates immediately, the local police department will be assisting you for your safe evacuation. This is not a drill, we repeat, this is not a drill"
The message played for three times. Silence falls upon the previously marry bar. People started on whispering, discussing and remarking about the announcements. The bartender turns the tv on in search of the validation regarding the topic of the discussion. There, everyone can see a live tv broadcast from a news channel.
In the broadcast, they're witnessing the current confrontation which just mentioned by the announcement. They see a fighter jet got struck by a hail of fire javelins and exploded to bits, a tank got pierced by stone spikes from the ground, many soldiers got impaled, frozen, or straight up decapitated by all sorts of spells, some ice, water, earth, fire, and even gales shaped to either blades, spikes, or simply balls.
The broadcast ended with the crew running for their lives, but all people seeing it knew what happened to the whole crew due to the flash tearing sound and screams before the camera went black.
The bar goes silent again, this time for much longer. After the realization struck them, and the panic replaces the quietness before it. However, long before the anxiety and fear broke up, a man already left the bar and running on the snowy sidewalk amidst the falling snows.