Chapter 6: Creatures of Loyalty

Everything around me froze; their eyes are stuck on me. The noble's knights were trying to get him up from falling down, while I just stood there. Out of all the possible situations I'll be encountering, why does it have to be this time?

"A hostile magic?" The tyrant said with a raised eyebrow, pointing me with his cane. "Do you know what happens to people who use hostile magic orbs?"

"I-I'm sorry…" I faltered as I was trying to defend myself, but because of what's happening, I couldn't find the right words. "I didn't mean to."

"Get her!" He shouted, ordering all of his guards. They listened to his command and marched towards me like I was a criminal. I couldn't be able to do anything since I don't know how to fight them, and even if I do, I don't want to cause any more trouble.

"No, Meria! Run!" Sir Leonard yelled. His face was filled with worry for me, despite him the one who was being hurt. I just looked at him with trembling eyes. All I wanted was to protect him from these people, but out of nowhere, my secret interrupted and showed itself.

The knights are still walking to me, while I was slowly stepping backward. Once they got near me, I tried to raise my hands to push them away, but to no avail, since they continued to reach my position.

"Please, please…" I said, walking backward until I made it outside, with more people to watch the scene. "…stay away from me."

They didn't listen and continued to stride.

I don't want to be in trouble. I don't want to be in jail. I just want to live a normal life with my brother. I just want them to get out.

Because of my desperation in escaping this situation, I felt another intense pain coming from my chest, so I hold it tightly. Then, just like earlier, it was instantly gone.

Once it's gone, a strong force came from my body and went out, setting itself free. I saw everything within my radius being thrown out of their position, including the curious people in the streets outside. More cracks can be seen in the marble walls and furniture toppled.

The noble fell once again along with his knights and tried to get up to know what was happening. He just gave me widened shivering eyes this time, couldn't be able to know what was really happening right now, especially to me.

"W-What are you…?" He stuttered in his words. His shocked face then produced wrinkles and his voice was cracking. "Y-You're not using magic orb at all! Y-You're cursed!"

"Meria…" My master muttered, with the same expression as the noble, fear.

"I-I… I don't know…" I said, as everything around me finally knew that it wasn't coming from any magic orb at all. It really came from me and my own body.

The lord turned his head in every direction, directly towards the crowd that was piling, trying to get up from the pressure that almost pushed them away.

"There's a cursed human being here! A cursed human!" He repeatedly shouted, trying to make the people went to his side, and making me a bad guy. I also turned my head around as they all started to whisper in each other's ears while giving me death glances.

"She doesn't have an orb and she can use magic?"

"What is she?"

"Is she a cursed child?"

My whole body was shaking. This wasn't what I wanted at all. I don't want to be in this situation. The whole crowd around me, including Sir Leonard, was giving me glares. What they didn't know was that they were killing me with their stares. They're killing my identity.

"I-I'm so sorry…" I said, clutching both of my hands with each other, and was about to take a step back, away from them. "I… I better go."

I started running away, passing through the mass, which gave way. Even though I tried to not see their faces directly, I still could see their gaze in my peripheral vision. I just closed my eyes.

Tears started to pour down, as they were being blown away by the wind. I refused to hear everything, even the shouts that the noble was making from my back trying to catch me.

Since I wasn't looking, I accidentally bumped into someone. I raised my head and found his familiar face. His golden eyes and his white hair that was sticking out of his head, I couldn't be wrong. His eyes widened, surprised that I was able to meet him again.

"I'm sorry, Cainne!" I shouted as I passed through him, didn't even bothered.

***

The whole capital was in chaos. Everyone started to gossip about her existence. All she wanted was to be normal, but today, she wasn't be able to achieve that goal. No human should be able to use magic, so this unnatural phenomenon made everyone surprised.

The rumors reached the castle, as numerous maids and knights started exchanging information after information about the cursed human. The king, who was just sitting on his own throne, calling all of his professional guards, knew about it as well, and of course, it piqued his interests.

"Sir Alfred." He called as he sat down into his throne.

After his call, a person wearing iron armor with a carved crest of the kingdom marched in the middle of the room, falling into his knees and lowered his head.

"Yes, your majesty."

"What was the girl's name? The cursed human?" He asked, playing with his beard that matched his black hair.

"It was Meria Arcson of Coira, your majesty," Alfred answered, still lowering his head.

"Bring her to me." The king ordered as he pointed his other hand to the tall golden door in front of them.

"Understood." The knight accepted.

He finally stood up and started matching to the door, opening it and leaving the room with a bang from it. The king was once finally alone inside his room, then, plastered a wide smirk on his face as he was thinking of how good the opportunity that came for him.

***

I didn't stop running from everyone, from everything. I passed through the hills that separated my town Coira and the kingdom of Deravon. Usually, this would only take me minutes every day, but because I just left Dalary there, it took longer than before. I started to get exhausted.

At last, I finally made it into the town and no crowds were running towards me to ask questions, so I assumed that the rumors didn't make it here just yet, which is really a relief.

But I didn't waste any time and just ran towards my house.

"Meria?" As I closed the door, I was greeted by someone. I turned around to see Farin standing there, holding a clay container filled with water, as his eyes were filled with confusion. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be on work."

Just by seeing his familiar face, his comfortable approach, I couldn't help but let all of my tears fell, my whole cheeks started to get warmer. My vision was covered by the warm liquid, making it vivid. My nose started to become runny.

I started walking towards him and wrapped my arms around his torso. I leaned my head on his chest.

"W-What happened?" He asked me with confusion, but he still accepted my embrace and started patting my shoulders as well.

"I… I don't know what to do…" I said with a cracked voice. After minutes of comfort, I finally let go of him, started to wipe my tears.

What I said shocked him, enough clues for him to identify what happened in the kingdom. "Did they already found out?"

"I-I'm sorry…" I apologized as I lowered my head. I tried to stop my tears from falling, but every time, it came back and started flowing.

Farin slowly approached me and patted my back. "It's okay. It's okay. Everything will be alright."

My cries didn't take that long, as he gave me his clay container filled with water. I accepted it and drank everything. The rest of the time was just pure silence. I just stared at nowhere, trying to let my mind calm down.

I was just riding along with Dalary in her wagon every time we'll go to our work on the capital, while Farin was just left here, working as a farmer. Everything changed, and everything started to change more after this. I can feel it.

"Here, take this." He tossed something to me, in which, I caught with the high risk of it falling down into the floor. Once I had it in my hands, I examined the object.

It was a necklace. The circle of golden beads that were made from expensive stones is being attached to a small gold medal. It also had a carved crest of a pair of angelic wings on its back. I stared at the shiny piece of jewelry in my hand. It is my first time touching these kinds of things. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it.

"W-What is this?" I asked, raising my head. Of course, I knew what it is, but what I wanted to know is where it came from, and where it belongs.

"That…" He started explaining, pointing at the golden necklace. "…that came from your mother."

"What?"

I'm not used to hearing that I had another mother other than Farin's, so I'm still surprised.

"When I found you, I saw that sticking around your neck." He said. "I thought of selling that for a high price, but my conscience won over me."

I raised an eyebrow to his face. I couldn't help but despise him in just short seconds for the idea of selling something that didn't belong to him. I heard him gulped.

But I just brushed it off and continued investigating the whole necklace. I turned the medal around to see the other side then there, I saw some strange tiny markings carved into a phrase, surrounding another figure; a man with wing ears, holding a sword on both hands. I tried to read the small details carved, but it seems like it was in a different language.

"These are…" I mumbled, but loud enough so Farin could hear it. He tried to peek at what I'm looking at.

"I don't know what are those markings mean… so I gave it to you." He said.

But for some reason, I slowly started to read what it meant and every character from the phrase is started to make sense. The first word will be compared to the word 'when', and the next one is…

I spent time reading the phrase.

"It says… " I muttered, much to my brother's surprise. Not being bothered by him, I continued reading. "…when the world isn't on your favor…"

"Can you read it?" He asked me, staring at me like I just did an impossible task. I also had the same expression, as I too, didn't know that I can do a thing like that. I mean, it wasn't familiar to me, and yet, I can still recognize it.

"I can… all of a sudden," I answered. I turned it back to the original side where the crest was. I stared at it for a short time, until I finally acknowledged the symbol.

"Wait! This crest…" I exclaimed, causing for Farin to be curious as well. "It's from…"

"From?"

"It's from Lamician," I said, which made his eyes widen more.

"What? Really?"

"Yes."

As I said it, I couldn't help but stare at the crest for a very long time. The Lamician Kingdom, the kingdom of the encantors. In order for the whole world to be harmonious, there must be one ruler that will see through all of the conflicts and keep the peace in each kingdom. He was called the king of all kings, and the Lamician was his kingdom.

"Maybe, this means something," I said with a serious face, as all my questions finally have answers, forming into new more questions to be answered. That's why I'm so pale… That's why I have magic… But how…?

"Maybe, it's telling me to…" I was about to say the whole sentence, but then, I realized what I was about to say, and I'm sure Farin knew about it too.

"Go there and… leave me behind?" He finished it, even though deep inside him, he doesn't want to know about it. His eyes were almost resisting the tears.

"No, I–"

As I was about to explain to him, a sudden sequence of knocks came from our house, which made my heart beat faster. My cold sweat dripped from my head. I turned to look at Farin, who also has the same face as me.

Without any hesitation, he walked forward and opened the door himself. Then, a group of knights wearing intimidating armors greeted us with their stares. This is it. This is what I've been afraid of.

"What brings you here, sirs?" My brother asked, as he just stood straight, frozen.

"Is there anyone named Meria Arcson in this household?" One of the knights, a redhead said with a formal tone, which made us both uncomfortable. We didn't say any word, which I know is disrespectful. So I raised my head.

"That's me," I said, catching their attention.

Their leader didn't say anything yet, trying to scan all of my identity just by staring at my face. I did the same as well, but as I looked at his eyes, there is something strange about it. It's like I'm being pulled by his stare out of my own body. It makes me uncomfortable.

After a minute of staring contest, he finally had the voice to speak.

"We are from the Deravon Kingdom. Our king wished to see you."