NAUXEN
I stopped pounding the hot molten metal against the anvil and dipped it into the water, I looked back at the old man trying to remove the smoke inside the room by waving his hand around.
I went to my father and guided him to the shop which is located outside the workshop, What is the old man doing here? I removed my hand that's supporting his frail body when he finally sat on his favorite chair, the rocking chair located behind the counter of our shop.
I removed the metal shield in my face, and the cloth mask that's covering my whole head– it prevents my hair from interfering on my work, less hassle. My long black hair fell as soon as I removed the mask, sticking to my sweaty and dirty skin, I grunted out of irritation. I've always wanted to cut this hair of mine, what a hindrance.
I cleared my throat and tucked the strands behind my ears when I saw the old man eyeing me with his eyebrows raised, his fault. How many times I've tried to cut my hair, but he's begging me not to, he treasures my hair more than me, his sole daughter. He said that if I ever cut my hair he'll disown me and just die alone, what a drama king. Normally, my hair is straight and is reaching behind my knee, but right now it's a mess, I looked like I've not taken a bath for years.
"Have you forgotten something?" He asked while raising his eyebrows, now I am confused, forgot what?
I winced in pain when he tapped my foot with his cane, I looked at him with a wide eyes.
"This is abuse, Pa!" I complained, crossing my arms. The old man just laughed at me. I saw him trying to stand up by himself when he fell, almost hitting the ground– but that didn't happen, I was fast enough to catch him.
He sat down again and stare at his knee, I look at my old father with a worried expression. My eyes fixated on his right amputated leg. He looked up to me as I felt his rough hands losing its grip on my arms.
My father avoided my gaze, it is obvious that he's shy from what happened just now.
My father is getting weaker and weaker as the time passes by, his masculine and strong figure is long gone, now replaced with weak bones and shorter stamina. I get on my knees in his left side- reaching for his hand, I watch his face as it becomes peaceful and lifted out of discomfort.
"Feeling fine now?" I softly asked for confirmation.
"Haha! Even though I'm an old hag, I still can fold some douchebag to eight! Not to mention I have a missing leg!" He said with a boastful tone and laughed, He slightly tapped my back. My eyes widened as I lost my balance and winced in pain when my body got thrown to the other end of the room, the bell hanging on the top of the closed door rang with the impact of my back hitting it. I saw the old man's eyes widened, probably shocked that he threw me, AGAIN.
"A-argh..." A grunt skipped my lips, my body laid on the cold wooden floor when someone pushed the door open behind me, even with my long hair covering my vision, I can still feel the eyes on me, the next thing I heard is a dying laugh from someone, he sounded like he's having a hard time to breathe.
"Nauxen" He said while wiping his tears
"What?"
"What?" My father and I said in unison, Beret's laughter became more annoying.
"HAHAHAHA! I mean, the old one! What were you even thinking naming your daughter after you? You think your name is beautiful or something? also what happened to that kid, why is she on the ground HAHAHA!" He laughed in front of my face, he knew his laugh is annoying me and intentionally overdoing it to annoy me more. I stand up and fixed my messy tangled hair.
I looked at my old man with s confused expression, he just stared at me with a blank face, as if he's already expecting it. I suddenly remembered that we have a transaction with the town near the capital, I suppose that's what the old man is reminding me. Ah, that's why Beret is here. He is a man in his mid 40's, he's a merchant and my partner on every transaction, one of the old man's friends.
Friends, because he knows literally almost everyone in town, no matter what age or class, may it be a vohide or luceneis. As if he's some Duke or owner of the land, I still can't forget what happened before when we had nothing to eat, suddenly there was an act of heroism because almost everyone gave us food, for a month we ate sweet potatoes every day.
"Beret, help me lift the things needed." The old man got up and walked towards the stock room, I raised my eyebrows.
"What do you mean lift? Lift what? Just sit and take a rest, m gonna handle everything." I said with a grumpy tone, I warned Beret with my eyes. But the old man acted as if he heard nothing and just continue on walking.
"My leg is just amputated, you're acting as if I'm paralyzed or bed ridden. I won't die by lifting some weights." The old man answered back with his baritone voice, it made my brows meet each other.
I pinched Beret's shoulder and look at him with my sharp eye, if he only uses his annoying instigation skills in times like this, I would've praised him.
I immediately followed them to the stock room where our material for trading is being kept. Mostly weapons and highly concentrated magical items in the form of jewelry or accessories, some are simple metal utensils and cookware, all for those damned nobles.
I grabbed the heaviest wooden boxes and lift them as if they are nothing. I can hear the old man complaining but I purposely act as if I hear nothing.
A breeze of wind welcomed me when I stepped foot outside our shop, the distinct chatter became loud and clear. Strands of hair went inside my mouth and sticks to my lips, this is pissing me off.
I walked in a hurry to where Beret's wagon are located to put these huge boxes immediately before the two of them manage to catch up with me.
In spite of the bustling and noisy town, I look around with a sense of familiarity and serenity. I see a flowerpot floating in midair, a broom sweeping the lawn by itself, and even a child who was playing freely on the busy road hit me with water that they're shooting using their index finger.
Despite the fact that our town is small, buried deep on the outskirts, and devoid of luxury, the residents are friendly and homey. Even though the majority of the town's residents are luceneis, beings who are considered to be blessed by the roots of it all, we coexist without discrimination and treat one another as family.
Luceneis have an enormous amount of zhul in their core.
Zhul is the purest source of life in the world; it is linked to the source of creation. Having a large amount of zhul allows you to wield power beyond what is normal, which is why luceneis are considered blessed and loved by the gods.
Vohides, on the other hand, are the people who are unable to do what Luceneis can do. Of course, they have zhul, but just enough to keep their bodies alive. Even though they lack the ability to wield enormous power, they are not weak; they are intelligent and will do anything to survive.
But there is a condition for being a luceneis-abuse of zhul leads an individual to doom. The pure zhul in their body would be tainted and would start poisoning not only their body but their soul too. Making them go berserk and would eventually transform them into a disfigured monster who kills and devours everything in sight. They are called corrupted, and they don't die unless their core is destroyed; they basically are the enemy of all.
That is why, in this Kingdom, luceneis are treated as weapons, even monsters, rather than as living beings with emotions. As a result, luceneis are susceptible to slavery, which serves as a meat shield for the Kingdom and nobles.
The majority of wars in history have been caused by disputes over power and influence, with both fighting for their place in the world.
Being abandoned, well not completely because the only thing that those damned nobles want from us is our tax. But they don't help us when needed, ni wala ngang pumupunta na knights dito because those whiny people are too afraid to go through the corrupted infested forest surrounding our town.
People in our town work together to protect themselves. Having neis in our town is advantageous, but we cannot reveal that there are free neis among these people, or else who knows what will happen to us. That is why we pretend to annihilate the corrupted using raw brute force. That is how we got the reputation of being brutal and barbaric.
I arranged the boxes inside the wagon carefully, it needs to be organized so I won't have any headache during the transaction finding which is which.
I can hear the clanking of a metal behind me, it's the old man with his peg leg, I jumped down the wagon to give them a way, the old man scoffed when he passed me. They said getting older means more attitude, I think this is what they meant.
"You're departing before the sun sets." I nodded. "So take a bathe." I immediately shook my head, and let him lift those heavy boxes by himself? I mean, Beret's technically with him– but still!
"I dun wanna" I simply said, he's trying to warn me with his eyes, but being stubborn runs on our blood.
"Xen." I don't know if that's supposed to be a warning, I pouted and started walking to our house, just right behind the shop and the workshop.
It is a small bungalow house, in the middle of a huge garden. The flowers are fully bloomed, making the air around sweet and pleasant. There are different types of flowers and herbs, all of them are rare plants with medicinal properties. It's one of the hobbies of my Old man.
I went inside the house, straight to the bathroom and washed myself, removing the dirt and smudges of coals that were latching on my skin. I wore a long sleeved white dress, it is flowy and not reaching the ground. I didn't tie my wet and messy hair, simply because I don't know how to.
"Everything is ready, Beret's waiting on the wagon." The old man's eyes sparkled when he saw me.
Seeing me in a dress brings joy to the old man, with his reason that this makes me like the girls my age- youthful and free, a delicate flower who isn't suited for hard labor.
I don't mind wearing dresses, and seeing the old man happy is a sight. That's why I wear it whenever I'm not pounding metals and making weapons in the workshop.
I sat on the chair that's facing the open window, the setting sun and the garden is such a scenery before my eyes. I felt a hand on my hair but didn't bother to move, I just kept watching the sun set.
The old man's rough calloused hand brushed on my right cheek accidentally when he's gathering the strands of my hair, it felt sharp against my skin.
"You shouldn't have been doing this at your age; you're supposed to be free like the other youngsters. Instead, you are doing things that I am supposed to do." There's a hint of sadness and regret on his firm baritone voice.
I didn't answer, I can feel him gathering my long hair, encircling it to a metal hair stick, and pinning it to secure a high bun. I touched the stick and I can feel the dangling stones.
A thick red cloak covered my body, the old man handed me a metal brooch with a red stone in the middle of it. I use it to secure the cloak into my body.
"I would rather than let us starve to death." I said jokingly, we both laughed. But I'm not joking though, the old man can't handle it all alone, I would rather do these things than eat a sweet potatoes given by our neighbors my whole life.
"And I'm not a kid anymore, I'll be eighteen soon."
I wore the ring with black stone before going out, the old man didn't accompany me to the wagon because we've bid each other good-bye enough, as if we're not going to see each other again.
It took us nearly two days to reach Mifos, a town near the capital. It is a town that serves as an attraction for visitors, and it is vibrant and full of celebrations. However, the vibrant image of this town is merely a façade. This town is rotten, with many unnoticed atrocities.
As our wagon enters the slums, the loud music from the parade at the road is getting lower. I bit my cheeks inside when the people on the grounds look up to us, they're almost skeleton. Their wretched state is like a lump on my throat, I pulled the bridle when there's a line of people in front of us.
Beret and I looked to each other.
"Walk faster! Fucking useless piece of shit!" A man shouted and whipped the bare back of the girl. I can feel my brows furrowing when I see knights watching them closely, making sure that they won't be able to run away. As if the connected chains in their neck, hand, and feet aren't enough to deprive them of their freedom.
Their cries of pain get louder as the man keeps striking their naked body with a whip. Though faint, I can feel the zhul leaking from their body, they are High quality slaves! I clenched my fists.
My gaze darted to the blodied ground. I tried my best to compose myself, inhumane fucks. The fact that there are royal knights present, means that this slavery is under the Royal Family's supervision.
The Royal knights went to us, I lowered my head, hiding my face behind the hood. I can feel Beret staring at me, that probably means 'stomach it and stay still or else you'll mess things up and put us in danger.'
Beret grabs a paper and hands it to the knight, the fools behind the funny looking armors face each other and whispers inaudible conversation with each other.
They gave a signal to other knights to let us pass, they kicked the chained neis aside to clear the path, Beret immediately slammed the bridle. I forced myself not to look back, but Beret's clenched fists won't go unnoticed.
As a neis himself, he can identify if a person is the same as him. Simply because the zhul of all living beings is connected; it only has one source, therefore, making a neis sensitive to the zhul of other neis.
When we arrived at the rendezvous point, there were seven hooded men waiting for us. They appear dangerous; what was that old man thinking by getting involved with these people? Where in the world did he get these people?
"Check the items." The head of the pack ordered his subordinates, the other hooded figures immediately did what the seemed leader command.
I stand beside our horse on guard, they surely took their time because the sun is already starting to set when they finish checking the items inside the wooden boxes.
The person handed me a large pouch with gold coins inside, aalis na sana ito pero iniharang ko ang katawan ko, I took my time counting the coins in front of the hooded figure, I looked at Beret and gave him a sign. His body immediately formed a stance, holding the sheath of his sword under his cloak.
The other figures might have felt it and touched the sheath of their swords too, there are a total of Eight hooded figures surrounding us. I showed my empty palm in front of the hooded man , I moved my fingers back and forth, obviously asking for the missing golds. We don't have anything to eat and he's trying to act smart and fool us, seriously?
I didn't burn my skin and worked my body to death to make those weapons they ordered just for them to run away with it without paying, scumbags.
"Twenty three." I said calmly, I heard the faint laugh behind the hood.
In the blink of an eye the hooded people around us have withdrawn their swords, but the attack stopped when a rock is thrown at the head of the person in front of me. I stepped back, above us another hooded figure came falling between me and the supposed to be leader of the pack.
"Just give it." Same voice, they must be using an ascended stone to change their voice. The figure who came snatched another pouch inside the other one's cloak and threw it in my direction, I immediately caught it, a smirk formed into my lips, money hehe.
We took another route that takes us directly to the road without passing through the slums again. Despite the distance, though it's not clear, I can hear them arguing, what are they, kids? they were aiming for our head just a moment ago.
Loud people scattered across the streets welcomed our sight. The stench and the dark alley of the slums is gone, now replaced by the celebrating crowd and loud vendors.
But the lively place won't remove the cold creepy feeling that's making me uncomfortable.
"Xen, are you okay? you look like you gotta pee?" Beret asked me, I faced him and gave him a thumbs up.
"But those fuckers just now, I really thought we were gonna get into a fight. Also can you ask your Father to stop negotiating with shady bastards like those!" Beret then proceeded with his rant, I can hint the disgust and anger in his voice when he mentioned what we saw in the slums. It's not a new sight for us but we're not monsters to not feel anything after seeing that.
I listened to him silently and just constantly nodded with him whenever he asked if I agreed. The atrocities that occurs to Mifos is just half worse– a lot more shallow than those small and poor town and provinces of this kingdom.
When will this poor Kingdom change? being aware and having no ability to do anything is the worst.
I decided to ignore the uncomfortable feeling, besides, I can't trust my senses right now.
Still holding the bridle with my left hand, I dragged my hand in front of me and scanned the black stone in the middle of the ring.
A tiny white pigeon landed in my hand, tilting its head toward me. My lips parted as I looked into its eyes, but it took off before I could confirm what I had seen. Were its eyes truly red? I think I'm hallucinating, or maybe it's -
NEIGH!
"Fuck!"
"Holy shi-" Beret and I both cursed in synch when we heard a loud shot, I closed my eyes when my ear rang. Not only the people including us, but the horses got startled also, the horses panicked, it's like they're reaching for something on air and want to flee. If we're not holding the rope tightly, we would've ended to the ground.
I pulled the rope tightly, and touched Beret's horse's body to calm it down so it won't toss us mid air and kick us to death.
A loud sound of horn and the marching royal knights made the carriages and people stop, the once loud street became silent and the people started whispering.
"Halt! Give way to the Royal Vessels of the Palace!" A loud voice announced, making the people lower their head.
A messenger came in front, a paper was floating in front of him, Beret nudged me.
"What do you think it is? They scared my baby, aww my poor poor babies" Beret wiped his imaginary tears while talking to his horses, as if they're a baby. I grimaced because he's imitating a cute sounds.
"An Official declaration from the Sun of the sun of Seilephim has arrived!"
"The Kingdom of Withurhart has successfully conquered two of our neighboring country from the West. Making Seilephim the next Kingdom to be conquered!"
The people around me gasped, Their whispers became more audible. I looked at Beret who's at the back of the horses besides me with a serious expression, I saw him gulped while listening.
"The royal families of Withurhart and Seilephim, on the other hand, have made the decision to marry the first princess and the crown prince!"
A sigh of relief from the people around me is heard, That simply means they won't ransack our Kingdom. Withurhart is a strong and advanced country, if they ever decide to destroy Seilephim, with these brainless idiots sitting on the throne and poor condition of the Kingdom, we won't even stand a chance.
But what would they gain marrying their First Princess with the crown prince of this small Kingdom?
I bit my lips at the thoughts, well, unless...
"The Kingdom of Seilephim would help Withurhart to siege the Empire of Varuem-" the words of the messenger were cut when a stone hit his face, making his nose bleed.
I sighed and licked my lips, what the fuck?
" Seriously? War? We're starving to death scumbags!"
"Oh my god!"
"The people from our country can't afford to go to ware! Look at the state of our Kingdom, we're weak and poor as shit! what were you great nobles thinking that you can handle the Empire of Veruem? Fools!"
"Then let that royal family throw themselves to the battlefield if they're so confident— agrh!"
"Ahh!" The crowd shrieked when a light exploded upon hitting the body of the one who complained. With my eyes, I traced back where it came from, ohh, it's a kid.
The kid is skin and bones, she has a chain on her neck, wrist, and feet that's connected with one another. The kid is crying but too weak to even make a sound, it's tired eyes is full of fear when she looked at the bloody man beneath the horse I'm riding. Her gaze shifted and our eyes met.
Our stare with each other got interrupted when a knight covered her head with a sack and dragged her frail body to the one of the knights.
I immediately went down and helped the man who's still coughing blood, the man clung into my arms with his bloody hands. An old lady came running into our direction.
"Goodness gracious, thank you kid!" The old lady thanked me and walks away with the limping old man who's bloodied because of the large burnt would in his chest, in additional he's coughing blood.
"Every household must provide one healthy male as a representative of their family; the representative will fight against the Veruem Empire for the Kingdom's glory."
"The King wants to let his subjects know that they need not worry because the Kingdom of Withurhart is on our side. Any actions that violate the order would be immediately branded as rebellion against the royal family, and those involved would be mercilessly put to death."
"There would be an enlistment for each town in two days, which we believe is sufficient time to select a representative and prepare. The war deployment would be announced during the enlistment process, that's all. May you continue your day and prosper!"
There are various reactions from people, there are people who are freaking out and there are some people who are lost because they can't understand the messenger said.
Marching out, they left the street in chaos. I remained standing, my gaze went to the hem of my white dress, it's full of blood.
A word keeps repeating inside my head.
Representative for war.
I grit my teeth in frustration.
"Beret." I said coldly and climbed the horse's back, he nodded with a serious expression on his face.
We slammed the rope, the wagon moved in speed, we needed to move fast.
"What are you planning to do now?!" He shouted while maneuvering the wagon beside me
I didn't answer his question, I can't send my old man on the battle ground to die. I'll... I'll do whatever it takes.