Meta looked into the mirror. His long black hair still occupied most of the reflection. That day he had concluded the "Gestio Hominum", thus creating the island of thieves. He left the hospice, among the glances of passers-by of the commercial area, he arrived at the ruined mansion, entering by force, without warning. Lighting a flame on his hand, to instill fear, he began to speak.
«Poor worms, scum of society and the island. It should be justice that regulates this world, not a Keeper, as you call it. As long as he rules with the people, one can consider him a righteous man... Keep this letter and pass it on to you from generation to generation. If a Keeper should make even one decision without the consent of the citizens, then open it. If you decide to do it sooner, I will come and kill you all.» He said in a serious tone.
Everyone was scared, but it wasn't enough for him. He took a man with a chain and set him on fire, killing him.
♦️
Gen Nishida, the last Keeper, had decided to lower the island's laws without the people's consent, so that fewer people would have a corrupt mind, thus obtaining a second chance. Not all the citizens agreed, infact very few of them did. At that point the family, shame of the island, opened the letter. It contained the following words:
Make the youngest of your family a murderer. He will kill the Keeper and I promise his mind will not be corrupted. On the other hand, he must carry the letter with him to the second gate of the island of thieves, and then commit suicide. If he does not, his mind will be corrupted, corrupted to such a level that it will be my own sorcery that compels him to commit suicide.
♦️
They obeyed. Infact, Noelor was the youngest of the family, but he had abandoned it, so, in prayer, the head of the family addressed to Meta, asking to forgive them for having sent his brother in his place. He then killed Gen Nishida, then arrived on the island of thieves, going as far as suicide.
♦️
This fragment was not only about the memory of the island, but also about that of Meta. Herega, after witnessing the vision, had a chill down his back. He took off his cloak, then the backpack from which he pulled out the book. He looked through pages, until he reached some before the last. Now new words appeared which, when he had first browsed it, were not there.
The Island of Thieves. Created by Meta as a remedy to the lack of justice on the island. It contains all the criminals who once inhabited the island. They are brought here by their own corrupt mind, and cannot leave. The Collector has the task of punishing them if they are not given precious treasures. Following the Keeper's lack of justice, he is killed.
•Reconstructed soul fragments: "Solid Characterization", "Imaginary Characterization", "Chain Spell".
•Next secret: The Tower of Elandria.
The x on the map at the end of the book disappeared, going from Triosa to Elandria.
♦️
«What I was looking for was not the reward for the killer's body, but this letter. This vision must be the result of meeting that entity.» Herega whispered in a low voice.
Eavelin looked at him confused, she had not seen any vision so, from her point of view, Herega was talking about a senseless argument. So he begin to explain her and, when Ren also entered the house, she was made aware of it.
All three lay down on the meadow. Resting for a moment after their long journey.
«I wonder if it was Meta who created this path. That entity in the cave must have been the work of his sorcery. What does he want me to conclude?» Herega thought aloud, trying to get answers, even if hypothetical, from his companions.
«But Meta was an evil being. Are you sure you want to follow his dictation?» Eavelin asked him a little doubtful.
Herega thought about it, almost looking for an excuse to defend him.
«I don't think so. We know about him only from the point of view of the loved ones of Goldora. Even this one, at the sight of a stranger, could have seemed like a tyrant, after all, Goldora himself has killed many people. Surely Meta had his reasons too. I am convinced that a completely evil being cannot be born.» Speculated Herega.
He did not get verbal answers but, seeing both of them thoughtful, he knew that he had found a good point to reason on.
♦️
«So you're going to leave the island now?» Ren rose from the meadow, finishing to observe the beautiful view, «I will accompany you to the port.» She added.
«Maybe we can stop another day here. It's since last night that I have not slept, and today was a really busy day... Stopping for a moment would be really useful.» Herega replied.
Eavelin accompanied his decision. She had managed to rest, but the day was still hard.
«I don't remember exactly where it is, but we can go to my house. We never sold it, so it should still belong to my... Family.» Ren said a little melancholy.
The memory of her parents still broke her heart. The young man put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
«What are we waiting for? I'm not going to stay in this dump anymore, and I bet you won't either.» He smiled.
She also replied with a smile. They started walking towards the exit. On the way they met again the corpse of Noelor, this time, he was really dead. They tried to look away, but the feeling of that lifeless body was too disturbing, so much so that until they passed it, their eyes were on it. During the walk, although the area of the trail was almost deserted, Ren was excited to see something different from normal. That green did not belong to her memories, and the sky so blue shone in her eyes. Indeed, the two young men also noticed that, on the island of thieves, the sky tended to be darker. The breeze was stronger, and the smells were much more vivid, as well as the singing of birds. She enjoyed seeing her hair being carried away by the wind and, genuinely, she also liked her tears in response to the stream that ended up in her eyes. She liked to be able to look around without having to pay attention to constant dangers. She almost looked like a reborn person. Herega and Eavelin were struck by how much such a sweet personality could be hidden behind such a strong behaviour. As they looked at her, they thought how lucky they had been to have lived in freedom. They also arrived in the square, Ren's eyes lit up when she saw so many people in the same place, he could not take his eyes off anyone, so that it made the youths a little embarrassed. They reached the commercial area. The girl was amazed by even the simplest of accessories, resisting the temptation to buy them all, although she could not. She looked at each person with open mouth, noticing the diversity of ways in which they were dressed. Finally, they arrived in the inhabited area, directly after the commercial one. Some memories surfaced in his mind, though very vague.
«Do you know where your home might be, Ren?» Eavelin asked, trying to keep a moderate tone so that she didn't remember any bad experiences.
«When I was little the shopping area was not so crowded, but sometimes I went to the square, I remember that, to go there, I always turned left. So we'll try to go to the right. At least, when I was there, this island had few inhabitants, we will not take long to find it.» She replied.
Against her predictions, the search lasted for some time. Eavelin kept trying to get some more information while Ren tried to remember. Herega, however, could hardly keep his eyes open, he just followed the girls. Then they found it. It was easy to notice that no one lived there anymore, the walls were dirty and damaged, the hedges poorly maintained and disproportionate. The grass around was very high and dry. Ren, of course, had no way to get in. She then kicked the door in, it was relatively simple, even that was battered. When they entered, a smell of dust and moisture permeated the room, leading the youths to leave immediately. Herega had not entered, he had perceived the conditions of the house from the outside.
«That hut will be fine.» Herega said.
There was a hut near the house where Ren's parents kept their tools. On the ground there was a big pile of straw. There was no dust, the wind often managed to carry it away. Without thinking about it, Herega lay down on that makeshift bed, finding himself immediately comfortable. In fact, for him, up to that time, it had been more rare to sleep on a bed than in a meadow. Often, he did not come home even to sleep, but always tried not to go too far away, at least during the night.
«He is like that.» Eavelin said to Ren, «He always had everything, yet he decided to give up a lot, never complaining about what he should settle for. Since we first met he has never been angry with me, no matter what I do... He's really cute when he sleeps. Even if I don't see his eyes, I'm sure they shine with hope as always.» She continued.
Ren began to understand the dynamics between the two.
«Reach him, I still have some energy left. I don't want to miss a single detail of the island.» She added.
Eavelin smiled, and went to lie down near Herega. Ren looked at them, they seemed really happy together. When Eavelin fell asleep too, Ren decided to go into the house. There she saw a dusty painting of his parents with a little girl. She was too young to remember, but the tears of nostalgia struck her. She put the sheet of paper in the sheath of one of her daggers, careful not to bend it. She came out, cleaning herself from the dust. Then she went to the left side of Eavelin, leaving her at the center, but she was a little more distant than she was near Herega. For the first time in a long corrupted life, she could sleep without nightmares.