9 Her Golden Eyes

The next morning Anura made her way down to the Inn's cafeteria with Lane by her side. The cafeteria was crowded, and the chatter was immense, filled with people with different skills and weapons.

Some even had crazy auras. There was a woman with golden locks streaked with small silver strands; as she moved her head, the silver glimmer in the light. One man had hair as black as night with eyes that were wine red. The adventures that stayed in the Inn all had unique looks and attributes.

Anura looked up at Lane and noticed that she was quite plain compared to other adventures. If not for her striking features, tan skin, brown eyes, and dark locks, she would look like every other commoner. She wondered what Lane's magical attribute was. From the looks of it, she guessed the power to manipulate the earth.

For generations, the Soma family passed down silver-white hair to their offspring, but Anura was born a pale golden blonde. It was like her hair was given to make a statement, that she was powerless. Her father had silver hair, but Anura inherited her mother's golden locks, who previously was a commoner with talent in magic. She also had her mother's golden eyes. If not for her to have inherited her father's features, she would look like an exact copy for her mother, Lady Silvia.

"Hey! Over here!" Jacob called, waving his hand in the air to catch their attention.

Team Aislinn was seated in front of the kitchen at the bar counter. Csilla sipped from her cup as she turned to spot them. Lane held Anura's hand tightly as they walked through the crowds of adventurers eating their morning meal.

Anura suddenly felt self-conscious. What if one of these adventurers were chosen as sponsors for the Somas? Would they recognize her? She looked around with nervous eyes, careful of her movements.

Running her hands through her sun-like hair, she takes a breath to calm herself, attempting to ignore those around her. But Anura's feet seem to have a mind of their own, suddenly catching onto a misplaced chair. She braced herself for impact, for the fall that was caused by her clumsy missteps.

Bang! The loud sound erupted around her. Eyes turned, and shocked whispers drifted across the room.

"Oh gosh, is she okay?"

"Poor girl!"

"How could she have fallen? Is she blind?"

No! She didn't want to be noticed! Their deep stares pained her more than the impact of the fall.

Anura felt tears begin to sprout from the corners of her golden eyes. Her breathing began to tighten, and her chest started to hurt.

No! Don't cry here. If she cries, she'll bring more attention to herself!

"Oh, no. Is she crying?"

Is she crying…? She shut her eyes tightly to stop any tears from slipping down her cheeks.

Their words and surprised faces of pity stung, and darkness surrounded her; fear and trauma. They looked and laughed with those darkened pitiful eyes. She slowly shriveled up, bringing her hands to her face and her arms to her chest.

It was happening again. Anura thought that she had come to escape the nobles' eyes, but they're everywhere in reality. What would she do?

Then, she noticed a shadow looming over her. It got closer, kneeling down onto their knee.

"Anura. Are you okay?" a female voice asked.

Anura didn't dare look up, nor did she reply. Wrapping her arms around herself, she trembled. Feeling safer in the darkness of her fear than in the eyes of those around her, she blocked out the voices of everyone.

Then there was a light brush of a hand on her head, a gentle touch of reassurance. It grasped her chin and brought her face to the light.

There she met the gentle face of a woman. She had her lips curled up into a smile and her eyes clouded with concern.

"Lane?" she breathed questioningly.

Lane closed her eyes and brought Anura into her arms, lifting her up.

"You sure are a clumsy one. We gotta teach you to watch your feet," Lane sighed, opening her eyes and gazing lovely at Anura. Lane's brown eyes wandered into the golden optics of Anura. "Don't cry. It's just a fall."

Anura didn't know what to do. Lane carried her the rest of the way to the table. She was too embarrassed to speak to any of the Aislinn members. Kenmer didn't even acknowledge her existence.

She sat in Lane's lap at the table. Finally mustering up the courage to say something, she tugged on Lane's sleeve.

"Thank you," she muttered, snuggling her face into Lane's shirt.

Lane just chuckled in response. "Be careful and watch where you're walking."

It was soon time to leave after Aislinn finished their breakfast. Anura barely ate anything except a small toasted bread and a cup of milk. She missed the food of her home, where the maids would prepare her favorite jams, toast, and fruit. She usually had a big appetite, but the thoughts of what had happened recently occupied Anura's mind more than the food in front of her.

Lane carried Anura in her arms while they left the Adventurer's Inn. As they left, many adventurers commented on her adorableness and small size. Yes, Anura was only six, but she still felt uncomfortable as huge adults loomed over her with their grinning faces. It was quite scary for her, to be honest. The noble adults never usually took any notice of her, but the commoners praised her just for opening her eyes.

When they were finally able to get through the Inn doors to the outside world, Anura let out a huge breath. She'd never interacted with that many people before. The attention was tiring.

"We'll be heading west to the West Kingdom," Ramone told the Innkeeper.

The Innkeeper keeps track of all the adventurers that have stayed and their whereabouts. It was a law in the kingdom as nobles and royals sometimes requested adventurers. Adventurers would do the task that the nobles wished, and in return, they would get handsome pay. Of course, no matter how high the pay was, crime and murder could never be carried out.

Since Anura was going to be traveling with team Aislinn, they would want to avoid the Nova Kingdom entirely. Ramone had told her at breakfast that they would be leaving Nova until she was ready to return. The West Kingdom was close, and the Nova Kingdom won't be able to reach them inside. Team Aislinn didn't mind much since they traveled worldwide, so one new kingdom wasn't much for them.

"Lane put this on Anura," Jacob, who stood beside Lane instructed. He reached into the bag he held and pulled out a ragged thick brown cloak. "Hide her hair, especially."

Lane nodded, and Anura watched the exchange. Lane draped the cloak over her, tying the string at her neck. The cloak was just a bit longer than she was, but it didn't matter much since they would be taking a carriage to the border. Lane pulled the hood over Anura's face, pushing her golden strands of hair away to be hidden.

"No matter what, don't pull off your hood unless I tell you too," she whispered, leaning towards Anura's ear. "Hide your head at all costs."

The tone of Lane's voice was frightening, but she held her disposition. She had to learn to control her emotions. Crying won't be the answer.

Anura remembered the imprints that Lane gave her yesterday. She had stuffed each one of them in one of her shoes. Although it was uncomfortable to walk in, she had nowhere else for them. She didn't trust anyone with them either.

One by one, she pulled them out the bottom of her feet. Holding them once more in her hands, she clutched them close to her chest. Closing her eyes, she imagined the smile of her father.

But it was only for a moment. Anura finally had pockets to put the metal disks so she wouldn't have to wear them uncomfortably in her shoes. She shoved them in the cloak pockets, patting them to make sure she could feel them inside before she let them go.

Team Aislinn all shared one carriage. Kenmer ended up sitting on Ramone's lap no matter how much he refused. They couldn't afford to waste hard-earned money on this one trip. And of course, Anura sat with Lane.

Anura had started to get comfortable with her, although she wished she could deny it. She even let her guard down a few times throughout the ride to lay her head on her chest. She heard Lane's heartbeat. It was calm and alive. The way Lane's arms were around her and the warmth she felt, it was as if she had a family again.

But Anura didn't want to accept anyone that easily. Accepting someone that quickly would be like a betrayal to her family.

She was still caught in a sleepy daze when a voice called her.

"Anura?" Lane repeated again. It was the third time she called her name. "Anura?" Lane said again, this time poking Anura's cheek.

"Huh?" Surprised from the touch, Anura bounced back, hitting her head on Lane's chin. They both winced in pain.

Rubbing her chin, Lane said, "You sure have a lot on your mind for someone as young as you. You should focus more."

Anura looked away, hiding under the brown hood that overshadowed her face. "Sorry for hitting your chin."

"No, it's fine, dungeons are way more painful than this," she assured. "By the way…"

"Hm?"

"We have to do something about your name. Calling you Anura Soma in public would be dangerous," Lane pointed out.

Anura looked around the carriage, wondering if anyone else had heard what Lane said. To her defeat, Team Aislinn had fallen into a slumber from the long ride. She had to state her own opinion.

"Uhmm…" Anura gazed out the carriage window. A name? How could she ever pick?

She watched a few trees blur by before she turned back towards Lane again. She'd been a sheltered child, and her family always stopped her from making hasty decisions. She never expected she'd get the chance to choose something for herself like this. And how would she choose?

Anura glanced up, hesitantly at Lane. "Could you pick for me, please?" she asked softly.

Lane's lips curled into a frown. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just—"

Lane sighed. "Well, we have a long ride. Take your time to decide. It may be your name for the rest of your life."

Anura stuck her hand into the cloak pockets again. Her father's wind imprints were still there. She held them tightly, enough to have her hands get sweaty.

She wanted to say that she didn't want a new name. Anura Soma was the name chosen by her family. Her name and these stones were the only things that she had left.

She rubbed her fingers on the slick metal of the imprints. There was only one way to change the fate of the Soma's eradication. But did she have the courage?

Her thoughts were a rumble of words. What could she do really? The ride was long, and she never came up with a conclusion; slumber called her.

"Anura. Anura! Hey!"

Someone shook her awake. Opening her eyes, Kenmer's face filled her view.

"Kenmer?" Her voice sounded dead, mostly because she had been sleeping.

The surroundings were dark except for a small light above Kenmer's head. Although the darkness made it harder to see, Kenmer's piercing oceanic eyes were still distinctive.

Kenmer's face wrinkled in disgust. "What are you a baby? Need more nap time?"

His words immediately woke Anura, and she glared at him with her golden flaming eyes. "No," she snapped.

Kenmer laughed. "It's okay. If you need nap time, I'll be sure to ask my dad to arrange it for you."

"Kenmer, you're being rude. Watch your words," Lane said, her voice booming above Anura.

"Meh," he shrugged, jumping off the carriage.

Kenmer sounded like a spoiled noble child. It was weird for a commoner to be so confident about himself. He's got some nerve.

"Don't mind him, he just wanted to wake you since we arrived at the West Kingdom gates," Lane explains. "Do you want to walk or stay in my arms for tonight?"

Flashbacks of her clumsy fall back in the morning sent chills through Anura. She didn't want to risk falling in front of everyone again.

"I'd like to be carried," she responded, lifting her arms up.

Lane looked tired. She must not have slept the whole ride. Anura felt like such a burden to have to be held, and on second thought, she wanted to take her request back. She couldn't say anything since Lane had already lifted her into her arms and out of the carriage.

They followed the rest of Aislinn into a long line that cascaded towards the West Kingdom gates. There was a tall wall connected to the black gate fences. It was made of what looked like white stone. She couldn't see it particularly clearly since the moon was high in the sky.

They stood in line for what seemed like hours, but Anura didn't question it because it was exceptionally long. Lady Csilla seemed to be holding up quite well, although she complained the other day about standing for too long. She must be using her mana to give her body some energy. Healers are truly wondrous.

Lane seemed to be struggling to carry Anura. Every once and awhile, Anura would slip low, and Lane would lift her up back in her arms with a toiling heave.

"Anura, it's best if you pretend you're asleep. We're almost at the gates," Lane whispered into her ear.

They stood in an order that Ramone planned to waver the gate guard's attention. Ramone and Kenmer were first together, then Csilla. Yue would come next, followed by Jacob and Lane. She would be disguised as Lane's child. If she pretended she was asleep, the guards most likely wouldn't ask her any questions.

As time passed, they grew closer and closer towards the gate. It was now Csilla's turn, and she was being interrogated by the guard. After a few exchanging of words, Csilla passed through. Following her, Yue stepped towards the guard ready.

Through Yue's interrogation, Lane continued to struggle with carrying Anura. Jacob even offered to take Anura into his arms, but Lane refused. She said that it would look less suspicious if a woman had a child then a man.

It was finally their turn, and Lane stepped up towards the guard. When they approached, the guard barely spared a glance. He might not have even noticed Anura.

"What is your full name?" asked the orotund voice of the guard.

"Lane Channing," Lane replied promptly. As she spoke, Lane's arms began to tremble. Anura couldn't tell if it was because of fear, or her weight was getting too much. Either way, she didn't want Lane to be hurt.

The guard nodded disinterestedly before moving onto the next question. "Why have you come to the Kingdom of Woston?"

The Kingdom of Woston? Weren't they supposed to be in the West Kingdom?

Anura turned her head, and immediately the guard caught notice.

"Hey, what's that in your arm?" he boomed.

Lane, still struggling to hold her, pulled another toiling heave. "Oh," she breathed. "This is my child. She's only six."

"Yes, alright. What's your child's name?"

Anura felt Lane clutch her cloak with her fist. If she tells him, Anura Soma, it's over.

"Uhm…"

She couldn't bear to watch laying useless in Lane's arms as she struggled. Anura pushed and wiggled and kicked.

"I want off!" she yelled, her face pouting.

Lane looked at her with a face filled with disbelief. "What are you doing?" she whispered silently into her ear.

"Let me off!" she yelled again, pushing away.

"Miss, please contain your child, the guard demanded.

Finally, Lane lowered her onto the ground, and Anura jumped on her feet. Lane smiled awkwardly at the guard as Anura continued to distract him with her wiggling around.

"I do apologize for my child's behavior. She had been sleeping the entire ride here, so her energy is unbalanced," Lane explained, lowering her head to bow towards the guard.

"I see…" he mumbled.

Anura took a breath and looked up towards the tall guard. Watching as Anura suddenly revealed her face, Lane's face paled.

In her head, she repeated words that gave her confidence. She told herself she was confident in who she was. She was Anura. Anura Soma and Anura Soma won't be afraid! She was strong.

"Hello, guard, sir! How was your day?" she asked, smiling. She knew the guard could see her golden eyes. They were just like her mother's; they glittered dazzlingly in the moonlight.

And when she did so, it was only for a split second. But only a small moment. Only a slither of time. That was when she saw her mother's eyes again— glimmering like gold. And then she knew that he had really seen them. The eyes that weren't just her's, they were her mother's. And just like that, Anura found her new name.

One day she'll shine as her mother did. She'll be unstoppable. There was only one way to change the Soma's eradication's fate, and she knew now.

"My name is Silicia Channing."

She was finally looking past her old self and becoming someone new.