Chapter Text
Neigh!!!!
The horse screeched, pulling both of its knees upwards before rushing in the opposite direction. Lloyd fails to grab onto its reins, subsequently falling onto the soft grass.
“Well, at least you managed to climb onto its back this time.”
The ranch owner lends Lloyd a hand to help him get up, but Lloyd refuses.
“Tch! Shitty horses! Is every horse in this city ill-bred?”
After they waved their goodbyes, Lloyd had been looking from one ranch to another. But the results were all the same, all the horses screeched and ran the second they saw him. It’s thinning out his patience, one place? It might be a fluke. Two? Must be a coincidence. BUT FIVE???? He is running out of options.
"Well, that does it."
The owner whistles.
"What do you mean that does it!?"
Lloyd looked at the bigger man in front of him, "I demand a horse!"
"Well, you see sire," the owner scratched the back of his head, "That's our last horse."
"What!?" Lloyd kicks the ground out of anger.
“IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE WATER? THIS IS THE FIFTH RANCH I HAVE VISITED TODAY AND THE SUN BARELY BUDGED FROM THE EAST!”
Lloyd continues to walk in a circle while ruffling his hair.
"Tch! Hey, old man!” Lloyd approaches the ranch owner.
“Is there any other ranch close to here?” The ranch owner did not answer, instead, he eyed Lloyd from top to bottom, studying him.
"What?"
"It's weird, sire, our horses are pretty well trained.” The owner points at one of the horses, it’s pretty far, but Lloyd can make out the general shape of it.
“As you can see, each wears a magical bound necklace, it serves as a special navigation tool not only to help the horse return to this ranch but also as a symbol of approval and quality. Only a well-trained horse can receive it.”
“Yeah, yeah. Ya'll yapped the same thing.”
Lloyd swished his palms, pointing at the slowly disappearing figure of the horse.
“Does this look like the ideal picture of a well-trained horse?”
Lloyd waves his hand up, refusing to spend another second on the conversation.
“Just tell me where the next ranch is, don’t utter any other word unless you can offer me an animal to ride on.”
The owner scrunched his forehead, thinking.
"Oh, there's one!"
The owner clapped his hands, suddenly filled with energy.
“This is an exciting one! Aren’t you a lucky one, sire? They just arrived a couple of weeks ago! Fresh from Asfahan!”
Lloyd raised one of his eyebrows.
“?”
“It’s an exotic animal! One of a kind!”
The owner looks at Lloyd with sparkling eyes, “Let me lead you there!”
Lloyd followed the owner, it was surprisingly far.
How long have I been searching for a horse for? It was quite early when I left the academy, roughly 7 a.m., but looking at the sky now, the sun is certainly up above my head.
Lloyd continues to tail the owner, he grits his teeth.
Damned horse.
“Ooof-”
The owner suddenly stops, causing them to collide.
“Hey-”
“There!” The owner excitedly points towards something.
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
Lloyd's gaze follows the owner’s finger.
“That’s-”
“Yup! You have guessed correctly, sire! It’s a camel!”
The owner couldn’t contain his excitement, he quickly opened the gate and let Lloyd in. Lloyd couldn’t believe his eyes, there were at least five camels, each decorated with a saddle, ready to go.
“You seemed quite pleased, sire!”
The owner smiled as he gently navigated towards a camel.
“Here, this one is exceptionally friendly!” The camel gently licks the top of the owner’s head, which is returned with the owner’s happy giggles.
“How much does it cost to rent this one for a wee-”
SPITS
It happened so suddenly, Lloyd couldn’t register what had just happened, he wiped his forehead.
“Huh?”
The owner looked terrified.
“He isn’t usually like this, maybe he’s just being shy!”
The owner throws hand gestures wildly, trying to find a way to de-escalate the situation while said culprit had trudged his merry way away from his victim.
“How about this one-”
SPITS
All four of them spat on Lloyd, leaving his face and hair dripping with unidentified green goo.
“...”
Lloyd stood there frozen, followed by the owner, who was at a loss for words while all four of the camels followed the first, trudging in the opposite direction of where Lloyd was standing.
“...”
The owner flashed a worried look towards Lloyd.
“...”
He grabbed the nearest bucket with clean water and splashed it towards Lloyd, who was still frozen in shock.
“...”
The owner looks at Lloyd apologetically as he refills the bucket.
“Still, sire,” The owner carefully carried the bucket before splashing it towards Lloyd again. “I had never seen someone who is this hated by animals.”
“...”
Lloyd didn’t respond, the owner studied the statued man, unsure of what to do, before he noticed a speck of green goo that lingered on Lloyd’s cheek.
“Oh! Let me sire!”
The owner grabbed the towel that was resting on his neck and wiped Lloyd with it.
“!”
Lloyd stopped dissociating, goosebumps spread all over his body, he puked whatever breakfast he had that morning.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“Seriously! What is wrong with those animals!”
To think I started the morning in such high spirits!
Lloyd continues to wash himself. He is on a riverbank, washing himself using the soap and cloth that the owner insisted on giving him as an apology. He scrubbed his scalp harshly, trying to get rid off every single goo that might still be on him.
Rustle
The owner cautiously approached Lloyd.
“Excuse me, sire.”
“What!”
Lloyd shot daggers towards the owner.
“This is a change of clothes for you, sire.”
The owner shrinks, hiding his face behind the change of clothes before leaving it on the ground, near Lloyd’s other belongings.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Wait!”
The owner quickly halted his steps.
“Yeah?”
“Wash this!”
“Excuse me?”
“What? Are you deaf now? Wash it!”
Lloyd points at the dirty clothes that are scattered on the ground.
“I’ll be back by late afternoon, it better be clean before I return!”
The owner looks at the man in front of him with disbelief.
Who is he to demand stuff from him like that, the soap should be an even enough payment.
“Listen here, sire! I don’t know where you are from, but-” Just as the owner tried to continue his ramble, Lloyd shot him a poisonous glare.
“Eeep!”
The owner hiccupped, he had fought wild animals before, and they looked tame compared to the crazy look the man in front of him was giving him.
“Right away, sire!”
He quickly fumbled towards the ground, taking the dirty cloth. Lloyd watched the owner disappear as he continued to wash himself.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“Achoo!”
Lloyd wiped his nose.
“Fuck! It’s freezing!”
After making sure that all the green goo is gone, Lloyd quickly dresses himself.
“Fuck, it’s really is cold.”
He wore the clothes that the owner gave him, it doesn't really fit him. It’s oversized and loose, the only saving grace is the vest the owner had given him which is a miraculous fit. He checked his belongings, nothing was missing, it was just a simple duffle bag that Julian had given him, containing the small money bag. He looks at the sky, the sun is still above his head, yet his bones won’t stop shivering.
“I need some wine.”
♤
========== ♤ ==========
“It’s our home!”
A lively couple excitedly opens their porch door, letting the warm spring breeze enter, bringing in the warm yellow hue as the wind gently dances with the sheer yellow curtain.
"It's really is our home!”
Mama Kim smiled warmly towards Papa Kim, both failing to contain their excitement.
“Our home!”
Mama Kim closes her eyes, taking it all in.
“Our home!”
Papa Kim replied, feeling both pride and joy.
“Ou- homm!”
Baby Kim tried to repeat after them, mesmerized by their reaction. He failed to do so but his smile matches theirs.
♤
========== ♤ ==========
“Uugh..”
Lloyd grunted.
His head felt heavy, his memory was hazy.
How much have I had to drink?
Lloyd scratches his head. He can see something blue and blurry in front of him.
“???”
[==========Congratulations!!!==========
You manage to consume more
alcohol than you normally would!
Alcohol Resistance level increases!
Lvl 1 -> Lvl 2
With this ability, your hangover pain is decreased
by 10%!
===============================]
Lloyd swings his hand towards the blue box.
“Fuck off, 10% my ass.”
Lloyd stretches his body, trying to sit up from the ground but his body fails him, causing him to face plant directly onto the dirt floor.
Shit!
Lloyd wanted to close his eyes again, sleeping on top of dirt is no longer a foreign concept to him.
Ugh, where is it?
Lloyd shuffles his hand around before landing on some kind of rag.
Well, at least I still got my bag with me.
Lloyd shoved his hand inside the bag, feeling the dimensions of it.
“!!!”
What’s this!! It couldn’t be!!
He quickly grabs the small coin bag and empties it on the ground.
Last I checked there should at least be 18 gold coins! Just enough to rent a horse for 2 weeks and buy some supplies! Now there’s only-
Lloyd looks at the coin that landed on the ground.
FOUR!? I couldn’t have drinked that much! This is a scam! Someone must have robbed me blind!
Lloyd quickly whips his head backwards, hoping to trace his step.
“...”
It’s dark.
Like real dark, the kind of dark that reminds him of the forest on the night he emerged from the ground.
Lloyd shivers, he hugged himself tight when he felt something solid inside his “new” vest.
“...”
A high-priced alcohol, the type that is usually reserved by nobles to give each other as gifts on a really special occasion.
“Fuck..”
Lloyd pulls himself in a fatal position, feeling defeated. He looked at the gold coin in his small bag again, feeling cheated.
“Fuck!!! This is soo unfair! I don’t even remember drinking a single drop of alcohol! FUCK!!”
He huffed and puffed, feeling tired and parched.
“I might as well drink this-”
LLoyd stops, he looks at the blue box that still hovers a couple of feet away from him.
“Tch! Go away!”
But the blue box refuses to, it hovers in front of Lloyd, dominating his vision.
“Shooo! This useless thing-”
Just as Lloyd tries to shoo it away like a fly again, he notices something new on top of the box.
[RP: 1080]
!
“Hey! Blue box!”
Lloyd felt confidence slowly brewing back inside of him.
“What are you waiting for, you creep? Give me the converted money!”
Lloyd held the bag open underneath the blue box, waiting for the gold to quickly pour in, but nothing happened.
“Are you broken or something?”
The box didn’t answer, instead a mechanical sound emerged and it changed its content into one akin to a main menu in a game.
“?”
Lloyd looked at the contents carefully, it shows the amount of RP he currently has, his skills, and..
“Random Summon Game?”
Lloyd read the word out loud without thinking.
Ding Dong!
A lively voice quickly rings inside Lloyd’s head like one would hear from a gacha game commercial.
[Random Summon Game]
[Send RP to pick a summon]
[A strong and unique summon partner will provide their unwavering loyalty along with a wide range of skills to their master]
[1 Turn = 50 RP]
What’s this? Summon? So I guess like a sorcerer’s familiar? He glances at the amount of RP he has.
[RP = 1080]
“Can’t you just convert it to gold!?”
Lloyd demanded, not giving up.
Ding Dong
Another pop up suddenly shows up in front of Lloyd’s face, but instead of blue, the box is painted red.
[Illegal action! RP can’t be used to be converted into real world money, it’s limited to Random Summons Game and Skills Upgrade]
Lloyd squints at the box in front of him, squinching his nose.
“Tch! Might as well, I have got plenty of these useless points anyway.”
Lloyd pressed on the button without much thought. A flashy looking portal suddenly showed up.
“!”
Lloyd’s heart began to race. This is kind of exciting.
A second passes, the big portal door suddenly minimizes itself before something comes out, something fluffy, it came out of the portal and rolled its way towards Lloyd. It stops itself in front of Lloyd’s boot, brushing himself before flashing a sunny smile towards him.
“Tch.”
Lloyd looks at the tiny smiling creature in front of him.
“It’s just a mouse.”
“!”
Ppodong looks at Lloyd feeling betrayed, his shattered heart can be heard from miles away.
“Ppodong!”
“What? You are not? Same shit.”
“Ppodong!”
“Whatever.”
Lloyd looks at the small hamster in front of him disapprovingly.
“You are smaller than my fist, how are you supposed to be of any use to me?”
“Ppodong!”
“Tch, at this point I will be the one carrying you around.”
“Ppo- Ppodong!!”
The hamster waves his hand around before he suddenly grabs something out of his mouth, something akin to a crumpled up letter.
Lloyd flinched, he had enough of animal fluids for today.
Using the tip of his fingers he opened up the letter, revealing a small business card.
[Ppodong User Manual]
[Ppodong is an adorable hamster. Please give him lots of love]
[Ppodong will give his utmost loyalty to you, his master. A summon partner is not only your companion animal but also your family, so please don't neglect them]
[Ppodong can change his size by eating one of the enclosed sunflower seeds]
[Red Sunflower Seed: Ppodong grows to gigantic proportions. Effective for maximum 12 hours]
[Blue Sunflower Seed: Ppodong shrinks back to a smaller size. Feed this to Ppodong before the 12 hour period ends. Otherwise he will automatically shrink back once the time limit passes and be too exhausted to grow again for 24 hours]
[One set of the two colors of sunflower seed is 1 RP]
[Ppodong can use a wide range of skills while he is gigantic]
[Ppodong's Skill Log] [Digging (Lvl.1)] [Packing Dirt (Lvl. 1)] [Cheek Pockets (Lvl. 1)]
Tch, what good are those skills to me? Lloyd went back to his defeated sitting position.
“Ppodong! Ppodong!!”
Ppodong quickly grabs onto Lloyd’s pants' hem as if begging for something.
“Tch, what do you want? I have no food!”
“Ppodong!”
“Envelope?”
“Ppodong!”
LLoyd lazily reaches his hand into the envelope, just like a magician when he pulls out his seemingly empty hand out of the seemingly empty envelope, a bunch of blue and red coloured sunflower seeds comes out.
!!!
“At least I don’t have to worry about feeding you."
Lloyd brings his cupped hand towards the tiny creature.
“Eat one, don’t be greedy!”
“Ppodong!”
Ppodong quickly reached out his hand, he grabbed onto the red sunflower seed like he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
“!”
Ppodong suddenly inflates.
This is crazy!
Lloyd stares at the once small creature that was barely the size of his fist grow and grows into one that is as big as a barn, he can feel his lips curling up.
Screw those horses! I have got a solution here all along!
“Hey! Hamster! Lower your head!”
Lloyd quickly climbed on top of Ppodong, he nuzzled himself on top of Ppodong’s head.
This is quite comfortable.
“Go forth my summon! Bring me back to the barony!!”
“Ppodong!!”
A minute pass, another pass, followed by another.
“Hey, hamster. Why aren’t we moving?”
“Ppodong..”
“Directions?”
LLoyd quickly goes to a sitting position.
“How the heck should I know! I am not a chauffeur. The fuck did you mistake me for?”
Lloyd went to the capital once, but all the way from the barony to the capital he spent most of his time either drunk or asleep, directions is not one of his worries. That’s the chauffeur’s job, not his.
“FUCK!”
Lloyd jumps down from Ppodong.
"Look at here, you giant rat."
Lloyd crouched in front of Ppodong, he put the bottle gently on the ground before he spun it.
"Listen carefully, I need you to go wherever this bottle points towards."
"Pp- Ppodong!"
Ppodong answered Lloyd earnestly, his eyes sparkling.
The bottle begins to spin widely before it suddenly stops.
"THERE!"
Lloyd stands up, taking the bottle with him, his finger pointing towards the direction the bottle had just pointed.
"TO THE EAST!! FULL SPEED AHEAD!!"
"PPODONG!!"
Ppodong replied enthusiastically, Lloyd climbed up, feeling satisfied as he felt the gentle wind playing with his hair. This is too easy, that weird bastard wanted me to fix the barony, ofc he will guide me there.
♤
========== ♤ ==========
"So, how will you rescue our princess?"
Javier isn't sure how to reply, it's been a long day for him and he can't help but feel seething annoyance towards the man beside him. His feelings are complicated and things no longer make sense to him, he feels sick.
Thwack!
"!"
Emily gently hits the top of his brother's head with a tray.
"What are you doing? Can't you see that you are bothering Sir Asrahan?"
"Oh, Emily! It's not what it looks like! I am just accompanying this gloomy boy!"
Emily looks at Greg disappointedly, her gaze is soft while her mouth zipped tightly holding her tongue.
"..."
Greg avoided Emily's eye contact, before releasing Javier.
"I am sorry Javi, but you will need to finish your lunch alone."
Greg taps Javier's back before leaving with Emily.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"What's wrong Emily? That look doesn't suit you."
Emily doesn't reply, she just sits underneath the tree, followed by Greg.
"It's a hard time for everyone right now."
Emily grabs the grass before looking at Greg directly in his eyes.
"You shouldn't talk about the Young Master so casually."
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
" .. cold."
Mirabella shivered, she squished herself deeper into a fatal position, trying to conserve her own body heat.
"Are you alright, dear? Should I grab you another blanket?"
Arcos was about to step out of bed when a gentle hand grabbed the hem of his long pajama sleeve.
"No, it's ok."
She continued to grab Arcos' sleeve as she quivered into a ball. Arcos looks at her with worry, yesterday's reveal is a shock to everyone, especially to Mirabel. She didn't show it out right but as her husband of at least two decades it's obvious to him, she isn't taking it well at all. Arcos gently hugs her, sharing their body warmth.
Mirabel's eyelashes flutter softly as she gazes onto Arcos's face, her hand touches his face gently as if she is tending to a precious brittle doll. Her eyes are dull like a thick fog is present inside of them, letting her see something that isn't there. Her hand suddenly stops.
"I-"
She avoids Arcos's worried gaze before setting herself into a sitting position, her back against Arcos.
"I want to go for a walk."
"It's quite early isn't it?"
Mirabel moved her neck reflectively, she wanted to see his face, but she stopped herself.
"..."
She didn't have to say anything, Arcos let out a small sad smile. He draped his cardigan onto her.
"It's getting colder dear, keep yourself warm."
Mirabel's mouth twitched, she was about to say something but she stopped herself, she gave Arcos a tiny nod before heading towards the door.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
During the early hours of the day the sun shines with a blue hue. Mirabel is quite familiar with it.
Before the funeral, before the debt, when things are simpler she would wake up early even before the chickens did to attend to her garden. It's one hobby that she loves, she prides herself for her green thumb.
Mirabel looks straight ahead towards her neglected garden, that was once vibrant and full of life now grey and dull following the autumn's trend.
She made her way there, walking aimlessly, her quiet walk halted when she spotted something, a red and perfectly round tomato.
Mirabel bends her knees, gently touching the tomato before flipping it to reveal its rotten side.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"Come on, just one bite!"
Mirabella pleaded, she had cut her son's steak into bite size pieces but he still refuses to eat it.
"I don't want to!!"
He cried out, throwing temper tantrums.
"Listen to your mother, Lloyd."
Arcos sighed trying to calm Lloyd down.
"Just look at your younger brother, you need to set a good example for him."
"DON'T WANNA!!"
Lloyd pushes his chair before walking a couple of feet away from the table, opting to roll on the floor instead.
"It's greasyyy, I hate greasyy food!!"
"Oh, come on Lloyd, it couldn't be that bad."
Arcos cuts a small piece of his sausage.
"Here, take a bite."
Lloyd looks at the sausage.
"It's shiny!! Shiny with grease!!"
Lloyd continues his temper tantrum, now more erratically, Arcos goes back to his seat, feeling defeated.
Marbella looks at her plate, desperately searching for something that hasn't touched the meat or is at least not greasy.
"!"
The salad, it's summer, peak tomato season, the kitchen had opted to just bring freshly chopped tomatoes with no additional toppings, to let them taste it's freshness.
Marbella took the bowl and walked towards her crying son.
"Here, try this."
Lloyd looks at the tomato bowl, it's not shining with oil at least. He grabbed a small piece.
"!"
"It's kind of bland."
Marbella smiled, she managed to make her son eat something.
"Wait here!"
She quickly walks back towards the table, taking a jar of honey with her.
"Try dipping it in here!"
"!"
Lloyd continues to eat it, he doesn't say anything but his actions speak louder than words. Mirabela smiled, her son is cute, but especially so when he is behaving.
"Ah, don't just eat that!"
Arcos quickly peeled a boiled egg, leaving some shell behind for Lloyd to grab onto.
"You need some protein in your diet."
Lloyd looks at the egg suspiciously, it's not shiny. He took a bite out of it, straight from Arcos's hand.
"Not bad."
He quickly finishes the egg before continuing to eat the honey tomato dish, a sweet smile never escaping his face.
Mirabela observed her son happily, she wished she could see more of it.
Drip
Fat droplets of tears begin to flow, each tear landing on the ground, like a desperate farmer watering a dead plant.
"Where are you, Lloyd?"
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Arcos eyes lingers towards the exit, before he shuffles himself out of bed. After his wife left, he couldn't really go back to sleep.
He looks around his room, it’s emptier than it used to be safe for papers and inks.
He ruffled his head before dressing himself up.
I might as well get some work done instead of just mopping around.
Arcos looks at the desk beside him, filled to the brim with paper, ideas from his brainstorming that are nothing less but useless tattoos on paper.
“Sigh..”
I need to make up my mind, our funds are depleting by the second. At this rate, we won’t even last until next spring.
Arcos tries to carry the stack of paper, he needs to go to the study room, there is where he concentrates best.
Just as he takes it, he accidentally knocks over his fountain pen.
“Oops.”
Arcos places the stack back on the small bedside table, bending down, trying to find the pen when he notices something.
Scratches
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Unlike most nobles that use a wet nurse to take care of their offsprings, Mirabel and Arcos are pretty hands on.
“What are you doing there, Lloyd?”
“Making a masterpiece!!”
Lloyd answers gleefully, still facing the bed frame intently instead of looking at his father, eyes super focused on something.
Arcos approaches Lloyd, it’s rare to see him so well behaved.
“!”
Arcos grabs onto Lloyd, trying to stop him from doing whatever he is doing further.
With Arocos’s wood sculpting tool, Lloyd had started to carve away into the bed frame.
“WHAT THE! LET GO OF ME!!”
Lloyd squiggles around, not wanting to be held up.
“I AM CREATING A MASTERPIECE HERE!!”
“Oh no Lloyd!!”
Arcos gently puts Lloyd on the floor.
“You shouldn’t scratch the bed frame.”
Arcos takes a small block of wood that he stores inside the bedside table drawer,
“You can carve on this instead!”
“NO!!”
Lloyd kicks Arcos’s knee before slapping the wood out of Arcos’s hand.
“I want the bed frame!! This small piece of wood doesn’t stand a chance to withstand my masterpiece!”
Lloyd quickly made his way to the same spot he was before.
“No! Lloyd! Stop!!”
Arcos tries to grab the feisty kid again, trying to separate him from the bed frame.
“Let go of me! Old man!!”
Lloyd tries to kick himself away from his father’s grab.
“Now, now.. be good Lloyd.”
Lloyd’s ear perched up, looking at the source of the voice,
“You will be a big brother soon!”
Mirabel couldn’t contain her excitement as she rubs her obviously pregnant belly.
“Tch! Younger brother this, younger brother that!”
Lloyd jumps out of Arcos’s grip.
“If you don’t want to hang out with me, just say so!”
Lloyd showed his tongue towards Arcos while running towards what he thought to be the exit.
Arcos tries to reach out,
“Lloyd.. Watch out-”
"Oomf!”
Lloyd runs straight towards the wall near the door instead of the exit.
“Ouch..”
"Are you alright?”
Mirabel who is still standing on the threshold tries to help Lloyd up but he refuses it.
“I am fine..”
Lloyd doesn’t like being babied, he looked at the worried Marbella and at her ever growing belly.
“Tch! Baby!”
Lloyd said the last word like it was a slur before heading off somewhere.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Arcos was about to touch the scratch marks but he stopped himself, opting to take the innocent pen that landed near it instead.
I need to clear my mind.
Arcos walks down stairs towards his study room, each step feels heavier than the last.
Why is it so heavy?
Arcos walks painfully, realising the path he is going, it’s the same path to Llyod’s room. He wanted to stop but his heavy legs won’t let him, his steps echoed all around the hallway.
“...”
The familiar door feels so strange now. Arcos opens the door half expecting a groggy Lloyd telling him to shut the door, clearly hungover from drinking the day before.
Creak
“It’s dark..”
Arcos sets his paper on top of one of the available tables before opening the window, letting the light penetrate in.
“It’s morning Lloyd, you should…”
Arcos quickly slaps his palm to his mouth.
What am I..
Arcos feels confused, he staggered for a bit, using the chair near him to support himself.
What am I even doing here?
Arcos looks at the stack of paper on top of the table again.
I should be in my study right now.
He quickly grabs the stack of paper again, trying to leave the suffocating room as fast as he possibly could.
GASP.
What am I doing here? I need to go to the study room.
Arcos' steps feel even heavier than before, he uses the wall as his support, his steps are slow as he traces the wall.
“!”
Another scratch?
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“Do I still need to do this? I can use all my fingers to count my age now!”
Lloyd pouts.
“It took less than a minute!”
Arcos cheerfully replied, it’s late winter now, spring is rapidly approaching as they speak. He gently pressed the ruler and marked Lloyd’s height.
“There you go!”
Arcos gently puts Lloyd to the side as he scratches the line into the wall.
“Look at the growth spurt you have this year! You gain at least 2 inches!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
Lloyd replied, obviously disinterested.
Arcos gave him a small sad smile before moving on to Julian.
“Let’s see how you have grown this year!”
Julian cheered, showing the exact opposite energy to Lloyd, he is genuinely interested.
“Let’s see..”
Julian looks at the line and compares it to last year’s scratch.
“Aw..”
“The difference might not be too big but you have grown too!”
“!”
Julian flashes Arcos a sunny smile, feeling relieved.
“Now, I feel like I am missing someone..”
Arcos said with a playful tune.
“Hmm.. yeah.. I wonder who..”
Mirabel chimes in, talking slowly adding into the playful nature.
A ball of silver hair can be spotted peaking into the room.
“...”
“Don’t be shy, come here Javier.”
“WHAT!? He is getting marked too??”
Marbella held back the feisty Lloyd,
“Be nice Lloyd, he is a part of the family now.”
“WHAT!? NO! I REFUSE!!”
Lloyd frees himself from Mirabel, facing her now.
“If he’s going to get marked too then he can take my place!” Lloyd shouted as he pointed at the mark on the wall.
“I have outgrown this tradition anyway!!”
Lloyd shouts again as he makes his way to his room, fuming.
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Arcos traces the marks on the wall again, three different marks, one stops at ten while the other two stops at eighteen. Once Julian gets accepted to the Royal Academy, Javier refuses to get his height recorded ever again, feeling out of place without Julian.
“...”
Arcos quietly lets go of the wall, he can’t stand it anymore, but by doing so, he loses his balance.
BAM!
“Gasp!”
Emily, who was about to wake the baron and baroness up, heard the commotion and quickly went to check on it.
“Are you alright my lord-”
She suddenly stops, just as she helps him up, their faces meet.
“...”
Why does her face show so much concern?
“!”
His face is wet.
"?"
Why? Even from the memories he remembers him by, he had never been a good son, so why?
Why can't the tears stop rolling in?
~~
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The soup has gone cold, Javier loses his appetite.
“Sir Javier!”
“Yes?”
Javier eyed the soldier in front of him curiously.
“You have been summoned by the lord.”
Javier nodded and made his way there.
“You asked for me, my lord?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Javier goes in, he sees both the baron and baroness, he notes how both of their eyes are red, stained with tears, causing his heart to twitch.
“Is there anything I can help you with, my lord and lady?”
The baron and baroness exchange a look before the lord finally sighs, he feels reluctant but it needs to be said.
“Javier, we need you to go to the capital.”
The lord held out his hand, giving Javier something.
“This is our family pendant, with this you can easily access the Royal Academy as a visitor with no worries.”
“What are you trying to say my lord?”
Arcos tries to speak, but his lips give up on him, Mirabel notices, she inhales sharply before replying for Arcos.
“We would like to entrust you to tell Julian about Lloyd’s passing.”
Mirabela’s eyes twitched, she doesn’t want to believe the words she is saying right now.
“Or at least just to tell him about his disappearance.”
“!”
“...”
“Will you please-”
“TWO WEEKS!”
Javier suddenly cuts in, he doesn’t want to but he can’t help himself. He admires and respects both the Lord and Lady deeply, but he can feel it in his guts, something isn’t right.
“Please give me two weeks, no, maybe even one. I will venture around this fiefdom and find him!”
Javier quickly bows, his neck bends into a 90 degree angle, obscuring his face. The baron and baroness look at each other, both not knowing what to say, they look at the earnest young man in front of them, eyes softening. They don’t need to say anything but they both come to the same conclusion.
“Please let me search for the missing Young Master!”
♤
========== ♤ ==========
“I ALREADY HAVE A BOYFRIEND!”
The girl begins to run, leaving the boy behind in the dust.
“But… all I want to do is ask for directions..”
Just as Suho was about to get himself together, he heard murmurs.
♤
========== ♤ ==========
Murmurs, loud murmurs, Lloyd can’t take it anymore.
“OH!! SHUT UP!!”
That’s when he realized amidst the blue sky, the salty smell in the air and the crowd that accumulated around them,
he was not in frontera.
“Hey! Hamster, where are we?”
Just then, the crowd begins to split, letting a bushy and proud looking man come into view. He started to laugh the moment he saw the giant creature and the man on top of it.
“Hamster? No wonder this creature looks familiar!”
Thunderous laughter rumbles into Lloyd’s ear.
“So you have finally awakened, huh?”
His smile widened, appearing friendly.
“The owner of this magnificent beast!”