Elydes Chapter 154: Reunion

Chapter 154 - Reunion

Kai craned his neck to get a better look at Lou. Two pairs of eyes examined each other with disbelief and faint recognition. If he randomly saw him in a crowd, he would never suspect the teenager before him was the sa quiet kid of his mories.

Now that he purposely searched for it, the hulking boy's observant gaze carried a trace of his little friend. Kai was stunned by the drastic transformation.

Lou was the first to react, pulling him into a hug.

Oh, shit. Not again!

To his great relief, Lou was much more gentle than the twinsor even Ana. The bulging muscles beneath the blue uniform wrapped around him like steel wires, tight but not crushing. The giant boy was aware of his own strength and didnt try to squeeze him till his eyeball popped out of their sockets.

He was always the thoughtful one and the easiest to manage.

It hardly surprised him that Lou had reached Orange after seeing the twins. He was the oldest of the group, probably just shy of getting his profession. Even with a higher grade, Kai wouldnt bet on himself in a contest of Strength.

To think there was a ti they followed like dutiful little ducklings.

Let the little shrimp go, he needs to answer our questions. One of the twins protested not ten seconds later, echoed by his brother. Yeah, give us at least a couple hours with him to make him spill what happened. Well help you suffocate him later and hide the body.

And I thought theyd get better with age. Im such a fool.

Huh, sorry, Lou released him, embarrassed and concerned. I didnt hurt you, did I?

While Kai was just beginning to hit puberty, Lou must have sprouted early. He had a low rumbling voice and patches of beard on his chinnatives didnt grow much facial hair to begin with.

What did they feed him?

No, youre good, he patted him on the shoulder. After the two blockheads tackled and crushed him for several minutes, his hug was like the touch of a feather.

Standing proud, Kai squared off with the three of them. He needed to act before things got out of hand. Who do you take for? Dont you think just because youve grown a little I cant drown you anymore.

The twins burst out laughing, while Ana covered her mouth with a hand.

Yeah, its really you, Lou said. A toothy grin split his face as they sat on the bench around the table.

Whats that supposed to an?

Ana giggled a beaming smile and slapped Oli on the arm. See? Lou imdiately recognized him too.

He must have overheard us speaking. Oli squinted at him and gave a curt nod. But I should have realized it was him from the ominous stare he gave us. He always did that when he got mad.

Uli energetically agreed. Yeah, like a creepy vengeful spirit planning your death. I was just confused because I rembered him being bigger.

You know Im right here Yateis rcy, their education went down the drain without their ntor.

Kai sighed, holding his head between his hands. All four looked to be doing fine, more than fine actually. Hed prefer that they didnt have anything to do with the Republic, but they had benefited from the training, no doubt.

Lou and Ana even recognized him, and there wasnt a mont of awkward silence with the twins around. Though they had clearly forgotten the respect due to their first teacher.

A few drowning sessions should fix their characters

Co on, little shrimp. You need to tell us everything that has happened since you left. Oli said, impatiently fidgeting in his seat.

Kai t his gaze, trying on the eerie stare that apparently he was famous for. If you call littleshrimp one more ti, Im going to find a field of critterbane and throw you inside. How many tis did the twins play pranks with the urticant vine as children? It might be ti to even the scales.

Oli gulped as if recalling so scary mory. I was joking, dont take it personally. Unfortunately, it always took a few lessons to drive the concept ho with him, and the impertinent grin was right back. Im sure youll grow too, soday.

Weve grown up. Dont think you can beat us that easily. Uli glanced at Ana as if for confirmation.

Kai could feel her attention on him, a shiver ran down his back. He wasnt the only one with Mana Sense at the table, though her touch wasnt delicate and quick like his.

Huh, its weird. Her brows scrunched in focus or confusion, maybe both. Hes at the beginning of Orange like . I hope you dont mind saying it, I was so curious I didnt think to ask.

Dont worry, its fine. The knot of tension lted away, both his cloaking enchantnts were working correctly. Hed rather avoid having to explain why he had a profession since they knew he was younger than them.

A chorus of ohs crossed the table, followed by their congratulations.

Still not as good as . Oli tapped a fist to his chest. Dont worry, I'll share so advice for free. If you work hard, you might reach my level one day.

Ana slapped his arm again and ignored his pained indignation. Get off your cloud. Youve been acting dumber than usual since you got your enhancent two weeks ago. Kai has plenty of ti to beat you, as do I. At most he might ask Lou for advice, not you.

Im sure Kai doesnt need it, the hulking boy said, looking at him with serious eyes. But Im happy to help if you need sothing.

Oli grumbled sothing about being unappreciated under his breath. Even if Kai beats my ti, I wont ever be the last. He directed a smirk at his brother.

It was just one day and sixteen hours, that doesnt count, Uli glowered at his twin with gritted teeth. Id have beaten you if I didnt hurt my arm.

But you did lose. And it was sixteen hours and a quarter.

Ten minutes at most. Enjoy while it lasts, well see who reaches the next enhancent first.

Ill still have won this one

Lou watched their bickering amused, while Ana pulled her hair back in exasperation. From the look on her face, she was contemplating whether to slap them both. Ultimately, she recognized a failed cause and opted to ignore them.

So, you also got a scholarship from the Republic? The question quickly got the attention of the table. We didnt see you in Hawkfield, did you get accepted late or were you placed in one of their mysterious locations?

Whats that about?

Im not in the program, Kai answered truthfully, causing looks of puzzlent across the table.

You didnt get accepted? Ana spoke up. With your grade, you should have more than made the cut. I dont believe your skills can be that bad.

Trust , its better if you dont know.

Kai rembered the first selection in Sylspring when he had t that strange girl. I passed the tests but I refused, I wasnt interested in joining.

Should I tell them that Id rather stab my leg than work for the Republic? Or is that too drastic of a statent? Maybe its better to test the waters first.

They were in the governnt district, and he didnt want to sound like he was judging them. They didnt have as many opportunities as him. They must be doing their best with what they had, even if they joined the people who destroyed their hos.

How did you reach Orange so fast by yourself? Uli asked, skeptical.

I had a ntor who lived near Greenside who tutored . He left for the mainland a few months ago.

I see. Ana nodded slowly like she was trying to make sense of a difficult puzzle. You could try to get in now since your teacher left. Youre a bit old, but Im sure you can pass with your grade. We can help you train the skills they value the most.

Thank you, Ill think about it. Im doing fine on my own. Kai dodged the question and changed the topic. What was that piece about mysterious locations you ntioned earlier?

You an the hidden class for special lads, Uli answered, dramatically weaving his hands. No one knows much about it, except that it exists. You should ask Lou about that, maybe hell tell you. Hes the one who got accepted into it but refuses to share anything with us.

The twins both turned to scowl disapprovingly at the hulking teenager, silently mouthing traitor.

You know I cant talk about that, people arent even supposed to know I got in. Lou crossed his arms defensively. Ask literally anything else.

Fine. Uli and Oli opened their mouths at the sa ti. Whos your favorite twin?

Its , right?

Maybe in your dreams. Everyone knows Ive always been his favorite, right Lou?

Ana ca to the rescue, saving the boy from the corner he dug himself into. Kai, why dont you tell us about what happened after we left Whiteshore? How was Greenside? I heard its close to the Veeryd jungle. My class took a trip there last year, but we didnt see much.

Greenside

Kai took a mont to realize they had no idea of what had happened. Even without his father's murder, he could hardly pull any happy mories from that humid hell hole.

Greenside was okay. The beaches were rocky and the sea cold, but I spent a lot of ti at my teachers place further up the coast. My family moved to Sylspring about one year ago, I think. So its actually been a while since I was there.

Isnt Sylspring where that accident happened? Uli whispered to his brother.

You an the town that was

We were raided by a crew of pirates a few months back. So rumors must have escaped the net of the Republic. Dont worry, it's fine. I dont mind talking about it. Kai raised a hand to placate Ana who was glaring at the twins.

Ive heard a pirate ship slipped through, but it was a small thing, she said as Lou nodded along.

The enforcers managed to repel the attack before the pirates could do any actual damage to the town. The governor had already taken precautions to ensure nothing like that will happen again.

Or maybe the Republic spread those rumors

If you consider many shops were pillaged and burned before the raid was repelled, and hundreds of people dead not much damage. Kai forced himself to take a deep breath.

Silence befell the table, the four teenagers shared awkward glances. Oli, unsurprisingly, was the first to break it. Are you sure there were so many deaths, I heard that

I dont know what you heard, Kai interrupted, so of the heat bleeding into his voice. But I was there, and I saw the bodies lying in the streets. Rember I taught you how to count, I know how many graves there were.

Perhaps his feelings on the matter werent as cold as he imagined. He unclenched his fist below the table. Im sorry. I know what I saw. Its true it could have been much worse, but I wouldnt call it small.

Is your family alright? Lou asked, looking at him with worried eyes. I rember you had two sisters, Eleni and Keandra?

My sisters are doing fine, my mom too. They escaped before things got bad.

What about your dad?

Kai knew it was coming, but his heart still skipped a beat at the ntion of his father. It happened when he was five, it shouldnt matter, yet it did. Rellans lifeless body over a pool of crimson was forever seared into his mind.

Hes dead, he stated simply, his voice flat like talking about the weather. He could see a wave of condolences, worry and pity surge through the table, he anticipated them. He died in Greenside the sa year we moved there. Its been years, I barely rember it. Its fine. Im fine.

A rain of apologies and concern fell on him all the sa. Kai waited it out and steered the conversion towards different topics.

You need to tell about yourself too. I arrived in Higharbor about two months ago, but youve been here for years. How was it after we were forced to leave Whiteshore?

His question opened the floodgate, Uli and Oli raced to explain their impressions of the capital coming from their small rural village. The mind-boggling size of the buildings and roads coupled with the bizarre people and customs.

The awakened fish was at least this big. They gave a whole silver sar for

Thats not how I rember it, Ana repeated for the umpteenth ti as Uli and Oli took excessive creative liberties in their retelling. The twins couldnt go a minute without straying into random tangents about people they t and pranks they pulled years ago.

Lou periodically added a few details, mostly happy to let the others lead the conversation. He was the unquestionable final judge when the other three couldnt reach a consensus on what truly happened.

The houses they relocated to in Higharbor were slightly better off than the thin wooden boxes they got in Greensideat least in appearance. The capital had an image to uphold after all. Yet the first year had been hard, with their lives uprooted and left in such a foreign environnt.

There was however a glaring difference: there had been no famine here. Many were hungry, but no one died. Their families easily found jobs in the growing city. Their story focused on the goods and wonders they could get in Higharbor, things they could have only dread of in Whiteshore.

The fact they had been forced to leave their hos and their possessions behind was entirely forgotten through the pages of their childhood. They had better lives now; they had trained hard and earned the honor of a scholarship. The Republic promised them even better and brighter things in the future.

They drew the long straw and were too young to rember what they lost, or who wasnt as lucky. That and years spent eating bullshit propaganda.

Kai didnt force the topic, too content to catch up with them. His stories about Veeryd elicited a particular fascination. The jungle was a rite of passage for the kids at Hawkfield, but they hadnt spent nearly as much ti there as him.

For a mont it was like old tis, the five of them chatting on the beach. Waves crashed on shore, sand still warm with the setting sun. Not a single worry in the world. Kaid never thought theyd et again or that talking could be so easy.

They only knew him as the weird kid who taught them facts about the Guide and appeared to know every answer. Lest he ever forgot, they teased him endlessly about the quirks or strange phrases he used to say. Mostly habits from Earth he lost over ti.

How do they even rember those

Hours later they were the last people left in the small park, every other kid had long disappeared into the dormitories. With the lowest grade, Ana's eyelids were drooping low. When her head crashed to the table straddling her awake, Lou declared it was ti for bed.

Five more minutes. I need to know about the drakes, Ive never seen one, Oli protested, backed by his brother. Did your teacher truly make you run through the jungle carrying a chair?

Im sure Kai can tell you about them next ti we et, Lou said, placing a hand on both their shoulders with finality. He also needs to sleep and hes not going to disappear if you look away, right Kai?

Looks like soone had to step up with gone.

Yeah, he yawned, though he wasnt that sleepy yet. Whenever you want.

The twins accepted the decision with surprisingly little protest, lightly grumbling as they helped a dozing Ana not trip in the roots of the trees.

We should et by the beach tomorrow, Oli said. We can train together and compare our skills.

Uli shared a complicit look with his twin. Thatd be great. You must absolutely co and tell us more. We could also go see the ruins on the western coast of Yanlun one day. Just like we did when we were kids.