Alara went into the Devontae's camp. The sun had long set and the night awakened. The tents stood well, the fire had been lighted. She moved her gaze towards the other side of the land, miles away from them but still could be seen, another camp was made there.
Alara raised her head up, looking at the cloudy sky. Barely any stars could be sighted while the moon shy away in the clouds, too. Only a part of it was exposed, hinting that the moon is definitely becoming full.
"Looks like it's going to rain. I hope it won't be too heavy or we'll be at a bind."
Alara turned at the sudden voice. Elonzo stood beside her with a smile, also looking up in the sky.
"Sir, I didn't notice you."
"There you go, calling me with that stiff title again. Just use my name. Uncle could work, too!"
Elonzo said light-heartedly, patting Alara's head while he's at it. Elonzo is in his late 40's and there's a 20 years of gap between them. It is logical to consider the title 'uncle' for him.
"I simply respected you, sir."
Alara looked up, not minding of how Elonzo is ruffling her hair. This man was once the most respected hero of Devontae. One who lead the wars, saved thousands of life. There's some battle scars apparent even on his face. Eventhough he's turning 50 soon, he still looks like he's in his early 40's
Elonzo withdrew his hand and walked to a nearby stump, large enough for two and sat down sighing, "Ah… how I hope I would hear you call me uncle once before this old man dies."
"…"
Alara approached him and sat on the stump, too. Elonzo pulled out his sword, quietly polishing it with a piece of ragged cloth. There was no exchange of words between them, both in their own minds.
"….thank you for handling the placements for the civilians. You're as capable as always, sir." Alara said, staring at the polished sword.
"Not a problem. It's my duty to be of help for the leader, eh?" Elonzo laughed lightly.
After a short silent, Alara asked him carefully,"Why won't you take the title of a leader?"
Elonzo stopped polishing his sword for a moment, long enough for Alara to notice before he continued.
"Who would listen to an old man? Handling those kids would be such a hassle, too! They're definitely not as obedient as you. Especially that Claire," he sighed away.
Back when Alara joined the heroes, Elonzo was the ace of the team. He was also the one who helped her to adapt and guided her along the way. To Alara, Elonzo is the epitome of how a hero should be. The title of leader was for him, that was until he refused it after the war, passing it to Alara, instead. No one knows why since he was the best candidate for the leader's position.
"Was there something that happened during the war?"
"….well, many died."
"Many was saved, too."
Elonzo remained silent. His hand continued to polish the clean blade.
"That was not the reason was it?"
"Hm….this old man got injured quite badly so he is not confident in leading such promising heroes."
"You've healed."
"Haha, I did, didn't I?
After Elonzo avoided the topic yet again, Alara remained silent. She had tried to make him talk about it a few times prior to this but always obtained the non-genuine answers, which made her even more curious as to what actually happened.
*He kept avoiding it, must have a good reason for it,* she thought.
"I apologise… I just wished that I could remain under your guidance a little longer."
Elonzo placed down his sword to the side and turned to Alara, lightly patting her head again.
"I'm sorry, I put you in a tough place, didn't I? I hope you don't hate me for it."
"…I do slightly felt hostile towards you at the beginning."
"Haha, I definitely noticed that glare of yours!"
"But you already handled the hardest time of all. When the previous leader had fallen, you swiftly took the lead during the war and brought us to victory."
"…."
"I do hope that you'll receive the title as an honour for your name. However, it seems to be a burden for you. If I could help by taking the title, I'd do so eventhough I don't want to."
Alara said eloquently without a stutter. She doesn't wish to be a leader. If there was an option, she hoped that she's not even a hero from the start. Nevertheless, this man next to her is someone she is indebted to. Someone that she'd wish would have the greatest life, appropriate for his deeds.
"You really are a kind child, Alara. I've always thought of that. Your parents raised you well."
"…they'd be pleasured to hear that."
"Even back then when you were 15, very independent and mature. It was very easy to teach you anything."
"Well, I had younger siblings before."
Elonzo noticed the soft smile forming on Alara's lips, causing him to feel happy, too.
"You sure had quite a few of them."
"And they were loud."
"Must've been a very warm family!"
"It truly was. My youngest was turning four that time but could already read! Father was so proud that he told his coworkers for three days straight."
"Your little sisters were also the charming ones, weren't they?"
"Totally! They were such a beauty. Seeing them walking side by side with mother made me feel like looking at three beautiful flowers!"
"And your brother was good at fixing things."
"Indeed! He fixed my watch a few times and even-" Alara paused mid sentence.
"And even created a model of vehicle that could fly," Elonzo continued.
This is not the first time Elonzo heard of this story. Whenever she was down, Elonzo will talk about her family as it lifted her spirit up definitely. The first time she spoke about it was during her 18th birthday. Elonzo found her curling up at the corner of a war camp and tried to cheer her up. That was also the first time that he got to know of her background more.
"I'm sorry, sir. I got carried away again."
"No worries, it's enjoyable! Each of your family members are wonderful."
"Very….that I sometimes wished that they would be even more selfish."
"…"
"They died because of me."
"It wasn't your fault. Stop beating yourself over the past and look forward. Your family would wish for your happiness, too."
"…"
"…The night is getting late. Get some rest, it's been a long day for you."
"You too, sir. Thank you for your hardwork."
With a nod, Elonzo stood up, sheathing his sword and waved a goodbye before walking away to his tent. Left alone, Alara got lost in her own thoughts. The memories of her family, the time she manifested her symbol, all that happened during the 12 years as an official hero, it really had been a long time. She also realised how she was the one that ended up talking eventhough she wished to dig into Elonzo's story.
With a slight sigh, she mumbled,"He got me again, didn't he?"