Chapter 3 - Sunshine

The pair instantly spilt it out. The heavy guilty conscience between the two was more than enough reason to account the events in detail to their father who sat in front of his soup without so much as batting an eye. When the retelling was completed, they both returned to silence, the only audible thing was now the fireplace crackling in the background. To their surprise not only did their father not shout or get visibly angry, but he also…laughed?

'Well done, honestly, the pair of you.' Sy chuckled, 'To have the balls to do that at your age, I was at least 10 before I even had the nerve to look my old man in the eye!'

But his tone quickly shifted.

'However, there's a reason why I told you not to leave the house without permission. So, respect that. In future instances, I won't be as lenient.'

The two twins nodded their acknowledgement to their father before getting the ok to begin their meal. Like ravenous wolves the two feasted upon the soup like they hadn't eaten in days. After finishing their meal in what seemed like seconds, Zeus used basic wind magic to whisk the pair's wooden bowls and cups into the basin in the kitchen before leaving their parents to dash out the front door into town. Xavier, too, said his goodbyes before getting instructions from his mother to return before sundown - which he readily agreed to - and rushed out the still-open door to catch up to his brother.

Outside, the sun was still beaming down on the lush green grass and cobbled pathways of Godshelm Village and the villagers were out in force, ploughing and watering crops in the fields adjacent to the chaoxs' household. Xavier waved and shouted his hellos to those he knew and those he didn't as he ran to catch up to his brother ahead of him.

Godshelm Village was located in the southeast of the Avax Empire and was home to approximately 5,000 people. Governed by a Mayor and select council it was a relatively peaceful village that was out of the way for most travellers. The most action it would ever see was the travelling circus which rotated through once every 3 years, the last one being 2 years and 8 months ago. At the time, Zeus and Xavier had been too young to enjoy its wonders and could barely remember what it entailed; hence, they were looking forward to the next one in 4 months' time. The twins hadn't ever made any friends their age in the village but were friendly to the adults running stalls in the square, being instantly recognisable due to their standout features.

The few times Xav and Z had been allowed out in the past hadn't always resulted in the best outcomes. The first time they were left without supervision Zeus had accidentally cut the cheek open of a girl that was playing in the river using air magic; this was instantly reported to her parents and then to Sy. This had led to quite the telling off and Zeus was now banned from using magic outside the house.

Sy, himself, was a member of the village council having been appointed by the adventurer society since his retirement as backup village guard. Of course, 'backup' didn't mean he was weak, he was stronger than the entire 8-man unit combined, but it meant he wouldn't have to lift a finger unless push came to shove. The twins didn't know a whole lot about their father's past, only brief snippets that their mother had told them when he was out or away. They knew he was once part of a famous adventuring party called 'Corpse' and was given the title of 'The Sinister' after reaching gold rank. They also knew he had 3 other party members but their names, skills or talents, that, they had no idea. The one thing they could work out though was the reason for his retirement; his lack of a right arm and eye was pretty telling.

'So, what are we gonna do today?' Xavier asked as he caught up to his brother, almost slipping on a loose bit of cobble.

'Ehh, I thought we might as well hit the stream today since it's hot and buy some liquitas from the market on the way.' Zeus replied.

Xavier expressed his agreement and the two carried on wandering down the path for a further few minutes before they hit the village square, chatting as they went. After they said their hellos to a few of the regulars at the stands, they approached Alan- the man who ran the store selling liquitas. Liquitas were small scales that came from low-threat monsters called Liquizards, they were a great treat on hot days as they kept your mouth cool for a while before dissolving. Xavier had heard from his mother that some people in the capital use them to cool their drinks not just as occasional treats.

'Eight liquitas please.' Zeus asked Alan with an earnest smile.

'That'll be four coppers, boy.' Alan replied with a grunt.

'Four?' Zeus enquired, 'Last time it was all 8 for a single coin?'

'No shipment in kid, best I can do is three coins for ya.' Alan replied.

'Two or we'll pass.' Zeus said with the most innocent smile imaginable.

'Fine, now bugger off, I don't wanna have locals hear I gave you brats better rates.' Alan groaned as he passed the 8 liquitas to Zeus in exchange for two copper coins.

The pair smiled at Alan and waved their goodbyes before popping one in each of their mouths and running in the direction of the stream. The cool refreshing feeling flooded them as their muscles seemed to be ever-so-slightly soothed from the earlier rigorous training. It was only a short walk to the stream from the village square, so the pair were still in high spirits as they arrived.

It was packed.

'Seems like everyone else had the same idea as us.' Xavier whined to his brother.

'Quiet. Let's make the most of it, we're hardly ever allowed out anymore.' Zeus replied matter-of-factly.

So, the two did just that. For the next few hours, they had pure blissful fun, swimming, playing and messing around in the shallow stream. The other kids seemed to avoid them like a plague when they tried to say hello and they couldn't help noticing the scornful stares from some of the adults that were present, but it didn't matter. They were happy.

As the sun began its descent and darkness began to ever-so-slightly creep in, the two decided to call it a day, dry off and get changed to head back home.

'That was fun.' Xavier said with a smile.

'Yeah, yeah it was.' Zeus replied.