"Just tell me what happened." Lecter said. He offered Raten a hand and helped him get up.
"Nothing. We were only practicing magic," Kiyan answered.
"Is magic really this brutal?" Lecter asked in shock. He couldn't believe it, but that's the only reason they were saying.
"So, Leopard, why did you want to see us?" Kiyan asked.
"My name is Lecter." He corrected him.
"I wanted us to just hang out and.... Truthfully, I am just curious, you two can use magic and I uh, was wondering if I could learn from the both of you," Lecter said rather nervously.
The twins kept looking at him as if he was some sort of abstract object speaking gibberish.
"If you do not wish to, you don't have to." Lecter said feeling uncomfortable. "You both should go back home and get some rest, you're too beaten up to be moving about."
"We're fine," Raten said and looked past him.
"Say Lever, what is happening there?" He nodded in the direction of what looked like a small platform in the centre of the town's square.
Just like the day before, there were lads and lassies around their age gathered there. They all seemed to be excited about something.
"Again, it's Lecter. That's just a small friendly fight that happens usually three times a week. It started off as a gloat for who was stronger between some friends but turned into a power battle between whoever wished to participate."
"Their friends and whoever wished to, would watch and cheer them on." Lecter explained as they walked towards the area.
"That sounds interesting." Raten said. "Have you ever participated?"
"Just once." Lecter scratched the side of his head. "It's not something I like to talk about."
They joined the small crowd of onlookers and watched the fight. It seemed one had just ended. A boy who acted as their commentator and announcer proclaimed her victory and called on the next fighters.
"I thought it was just a small fight, this feels like a show," said Kiyan.
"Next up we have a rematch between 'the beast' Jarett C'briel and 'the silent slasher', Chandrel Ford!" The little invigorated lean announcer said, causing an uproar from the crowd.
"These two seem to be quite popular. They already have nicknames." The twins thought.
"They are two of the strongest here." Lecter said. "Their first match started off with Jarett emerging victorious. Their first rematch, Chandrel won. They kept going like that until it ended in a tie. It has been a tie for three rematches now."
"Hmm.."
The twins got very interested and began to focus on the match up happening in front of them.
Lecter, who was barely paying attention to the fight, noticed five boys about his age walk by. He then turned to the twins and said,
"Hey, I will be right back. There's people I want to meet." Without sparing him a glance, they nodded and he left.
Kiyan followed Lecter with his eyes and saw him talking with five other boys. What started as a normal conversation that Kiyan could not hear turned into some sort of argument. It was five against one. Lecter in the end had his head down while they laughed and left. Kiyan then returned his attention to the fight.
"And the winner, Jarett C'briel!!" The little announcer said. Some of the audience had their mouths hung open before cheering.
"He won by luck," Kiyan said and Raten nodded.
"I know everyone is a potential enemy, but do you think we should help this one?" Raten asked his brother. He was talking about what Lecter told them earlier.
"I'm not sure. Even if we wanted to, we can't anyway. We're not exactly teachers." Kiyan said.
"I'm back," Lecter said as he approached the twins. "So, how was it?" He asked.
After witnessing the fight between Jarett and Chandrel, they left. To them there was no point sticking around and their bodies were still aching.
"Okay.. I'm being ignored," Lecter said inwardly and then let out a sigh.
He looked at the two while they walked. He had noticed from the first day they met, their skin looked a bit pale and that was concerning. He did not believe they got that badly hurt because of magic either, but he didn't feel it was right to ask… yet. Even if he did, they will most likely ignore him again.
"The design on the chains..." He suddenly started saying out loud. His eyes were fixated on the golden chains they both had around their necks. The way it was made was peculiar as well.
Taking the shape of a cross with the arms bending inward on its end. The chain reminded Lecter of a symbol he had seen somewhere. When he talked aloud, the twins heard him and replied simultaneously.
"Veldon."
Lecter stopped in shock. "Veldon? You mean the destroyed kingdom? Y-you're from there?" He asked.
"Yes, we are." They replied.
The kingdom of Veldon had a lot of story and mystery behind it. After its destruction, most of the people were thought to be dead, but these two certainly were alive in front of him.
'Maybe they were caught in the battle that happened there, thus their pale skin.' Lecter thought.
It was said that the survivors never looked the same after that day.
He kept walking with the twins until he noticed they were walking back to the house of Mr Silverstone, the best healer in Raldon and one of the best in Mulgard Kingdom.
"You're going home? I guess I should be on my own way as well." Lecter said.
"What do you mean?" Kiyan asked.
"You said you wanted to learn magic, right? Then come with us." Raten said and Lecter's eyes gleamed with joy instantly.
"Seriously? You are not joking?" He asked. The twins said nothing and just kept walking ahead.
When they got home, they walked straight to back where they hoped their father would be. Fortunately, he was there.
"Wh-what on earth is this?!" Lecter shouted in his head. He fell on his bum and just stared at Agnar who was seated in the center of the small field with his legs folded.
His eyes were closed. He was covered in sweat. In each hand were two towering rocks placed one on top of the other. He held out his hand in that position like it was nothing.
"You knew what he was going to ask didn't you? That's why you told us to go to the town's square?" Kiyan asked, unfazed by his father's impressive and considered impossible feat.
"What are you talking about?" Agnar asked with his eyes closed.
"You old geezer. He's here now, so what do you want with him?" Raten asked.
Agnar opened his eyes and looked at Lecter who was still shaken on the grass. He then pushed his hands up with force throwing the rocks up and rose to his feet.
As they fell, he kicked each one to the side of the field, arranging them in a line. They fell with a loud thud and shook the earth a bit.
"Entertainment," Agnar answered Raten's question. His usual expressionless face changed into a sinister one with a smirk
formed by his lips.
Lecter was on his knees trying to avoid Agnar's gaze.
"Did he just say entertainment?"