Real Life

285 AC, Tyrosh…

After the walk of shame, Tychano left the adulterous couple to the hands of his guardians in the grand palace and went to his home. As soon as he entered, two little things welcomed him. One of them had long deep blue hair like the boundless oceans, hazel eyes with almond shapes and a little mouth. She was the trueborn daughter of Tychano and she was just 17 this year. Her name was Ferora Ormel. The other one was the son of Nakados Paenolis and Ferina Ormel and he had black hair unlike his sister because he did not dye his hair. His name was Moreo.

As soon as they saw their father entering the garden of the villa from the windows, they went to greet him but they did not get the warm greeting they were expecting. Instead, what they got was a harsh glare from their father.

"Ferina, go to your room," said Tychano with a little room to refuse.

Ferina looked at her father like she wanted to say something but in the end, she bowed her head and slowly went towards the villa. Meanwhile, her half-brother, Moreo, was looking at the man he knew all his life as father with shock because his father never spoke with this tone to them. This tone was for business and judgement as Archon.

Tychano waited until he lost sight of his daughter then looked at the creature he called son for all these years. There wasn't an ounce of mercy in his eyes while he turned towards the guards and said, "Guards, throw this filth out of my house. If you ever see him near just kill him."

The guards and Moreo looked with shock in their eyes. Nevertheless, it was the guards who moved first, after all, it was this man who paid their money. However, Moreo was petrified because his father was talking about things he was not understanding.

"Father, did I do something wrong? If it is about going to the brothel, I promise I will never go again!" Moreo did not know what was happening and what was wrong with his father. The man who showered him with love was gone and replaced with this cold monster he never saw.

Tychano punched Moreo on his face and then kicked him several times to vent his anger out. If not for appearances he was ready to kill this ill-born spawn so he said, "Do not call me father, you son of a bitch! Your whore of a mother already sullied our name! I will not have you sully it anymore."

The guards grabbed him and dragged to outside while Moreo was yelling, "Father… Father tells them to stop! Why.. why!!"

As Moreo was struggling he freed himself from the guards and run to his father. He grabbed him from his shirt and cried out, "Father, please! I did not do anything. Why are you doing this?!"

Tychano grabbed Moreo from his hair and threw him to the ground, "Take this filth outside and give him a good beating."

Moreo watched his father ordering his men to beat him with a blank face. He was dragged out and the guards began to throw punches and kicks to him reluctantly after all this was the young master they served for years but nevertheless, the order was from their employers.

While all of this was happening, Ferora was watching all of this from the window of her room with sad eyes. She did know her mother was cheating his father with her uncle Nakados because she saw them once in this house while her father was away for business. She knew the day of everything coming out was close but the thing she did not expect was the reaction of her father. She did not expect him to be this cruel towards the boy he raised as a baby. She wanted to go out and stop her father and tell him to stop but she had neither the strength nor the courage for it.

******************

Moreo stood up from the ground. From his toe to his head every point of his body was aching, even walking was a hurdle. He still did not get why he was kicked out of the house. It was true that he went to one of the brothels and caused the death of a whore but it was just a whore, nothing more. However, he was sure the reason for his exile from his home was not the reason for that so he decided to visit one of his friends, Tregos, to take help and understand what was going on.

Tregos was one of the best friends of his, though he was not as wealthy as his other friends, he still was a man to be trusted in times of need.

Moreo arrived at the door of his friend's house. The house was a little shabby but still, it was a place to stay, for a while. He knocked on the door and waited and waited and waited. No one opened the door. He decided to sit in front of the door and wait for his friend to come home. While he was sitting, he fell asleep.

…

A shake woke him up from the nightmare he was seeing but when he woke up, he realized it was not a nightmare but the reality. He looked around to see who woke him up and saw his friend Tregos.

Tregos grew up in the streets and he was a man of dark alleys but still one of his friends. He was also the friend who invited him to that brothel.

At this moment, Tregos was looking at him with narrowed eyes, "Whatcha doin' 'ere?"

Moreo threw a nervous glance at him and said, "Hey man, I was wondering if I can stay at your place for a night?"

Tregos looked at him for a while then he went to open the door while saying, "Come in, just for a night, nothin' more."

Moreo nodded his head and went into the house. The house was really small, there was only a bed, a table, and two chairs. Indeed, he saw the house before but never inside. He was wondering how his friend was living inside such a place. There wasn't even a window as there were only four walls and a door. It was like the dungeons in his own house. Actually, their dungeons were better than this place.

Tregos went to his bed and took a bundle from under the bed and changed his clothes while Moreo sat on one of the chairs. After changing his clothes, Tregos lounged on the other chair. He raised his head and looked at Moreo and asked, "So your father threw you out? No doubt, even I would have thrown you out after all that happened."

Moreo creased his brows and asked, "What do you mean? What happened? Father did not say anything to me."

Tregos looked at him with a shocked face and asked, "Wait, you still don't know? Man, your family's story became a hot topic in the city and you are at my home without knowing anything? Didn't you hear anything while coming here?"

Indeed, when Moreo was walking towards here everybody was looking at him weirdly. Before today, those people were always fawning over him and now those looks were gone and disgusted looks had taken its place.

"So will you tell me what happened?" Moreo nearly lost his cool but he calmed himself and asked.

"Well, your father, or should I say ex-father, caught your mother and Magister Paenolis, your real father, in the act." Tregos was grinning while talking, "He shaved both their heads and made them walk through the streets naked. All the people threw fruits and rocks at them. Damn, even I had thrown one or two. After all, that's what the whores deserve. Hahaha!!"

Moreo was shocked learning that his father was not his father and his father's best friend was his real father. However, when he heard Tregos calling his mother whore he finally lost his cool and jumped from his feet to grab Tregos's throat. No was allowed to call his mother that.

Unfortunately for Moreo, Tregos caught him from his head and smashed his head to the table.

"Let me go, you bastard! Do you think you can walk free after calling my mother whore!!" Moreo, not realizing the situation he is in, was still yelling.

"Me, bastard? Hahaha, I think you don't understand. You are the real bastard here. I let you in considering the dragons you gave me in the brothel but I think it's time for you to go now. Did you really think I became friends for you for real? If not for you being Archon's son, I would have you left to your bastard friends' hands." Tregos twisted his arm so he was not able to do anything.

Moreo tried to free himself but it did not work. Tregos opened the door and threw him out while saying, "Don���t you ever think of coming here, bastard!"

Moreo looked at the closing door with a cold face. The man he thought as a true brother was just using him for his position and money. And now he lost his money, position, mother and name, he threw him out like a beggar. However, the person who was responsible for this was not Tregos... it was the man he called father.

However, he still needed a place to stay this night and money to survive. Suddenly, he remembered the golden dragons he hid inside his pillow at his home. Those coins were something he needed immediately so stood up from the ground and went to the trade district of the city.

As his ex-father was the Archon of the city, he needed to protect himself from his enemies so, in case of a possible attack on the manor, he built a secret passage in there when he took the mantle of Archon. And the end of this tunnel was opened to a shop that sold and created torture devices. This shop was owned by his family for 30 years.

When Moreo arrived in front of the shop, he looked around to see if there was anyone. However, it was night and aside from some occasional patrols, there was no one so he tried to force the door but it did not even budge.

Suddenly, he remembered a key that was hidden in the barrel just behind the shop. The key was hidden there by Tychano and he saw it when he was just a small child. Moreo quickly went towards the barrel and opened its lid. He looked inside and indeed, the key was in there. He took it and went back to the front of the shop. He put the key to the keyhole and turned the key. A 'click' sound was heard and the door opened with a squeak.

Moreo took the key and went inside. The shop was dreary as expected from somewhere that sold torture devices which Tyrosh was famous for. There were weird mechanisms displayed on the walls.

When Moreo was going behind the counter, he abruptly stopped because he saw a small knife for peeling fruit. He grabbed it in case of needing it. He went to the back of the shop and grabbed one of the candle holders on the wall and pulled it.

Slowly but steadily, the wall slid to the side a tunnel was opened. Moreo went to another candle holder and took its candle from its place and lit it with the flint on the table. Then, he went into the tunnel with firm steps.

Soon, Moreo came out of the other end of the tunnel. This place was the kitchen of the manor. As it was night, no one was in the manor except the family because workers and maids that were staying in a separate building just beside the manor.

Moreo's room was just upstairs, besides Tychano's study. As Tychano was studying most of the nights so they converted the bedroom to a personal study room. And his father was, probably, still awake so he went upstairs with soft and careful steps. Though he came to take his own money that he won in little bets, he was still afraid of being caught and getting beaten again. The pain from the guards' beating was still lingering on his body.

Moreo needed to pass in front of his half-sister Ferora's and Tychano's room so he was petrified when he saw his sister's room's door open. He went to the door and peeked inside. Luckily, his sister was asleep. He went forward in the corridor towards his father's study room.

The door of the room was half-open. The fireplace was burning hot and it was lightening the walls of the room. Noises were coming from the room so Moreo realized that Tychano was still awake but there was another voice in the room, a man. Moreo listened closely and realized that the voice belonged to the housekeeper. It was weird because the housekeeper was usually asleep at this hour.

Moreo wondered about their conversation so he went to the door and put his ear to it and started to listen.

"As soon as you wake up in the morning, you are to go to the record house and give this letter to them," Tychano spoke with a stern voice.

"Yes, my Archon. However, if it is urgent I can go wake the head of the record house as I know him personally." said the housekeeper.

Tychano looked at the man and thought for a bit but still shook his head and answered, "Though I want to remove that bastard as my heir, still the tension I have created after the arrest of Nakados and the argument with that Trios damned prophet should have aggravated the magisters so I can't use my influence for a while." Tychano massaged his temples and continued, "So, you should go in the morning. I won't let that bastard inherit even a copper from me. At least, Ferora is my trueborn, she can marry some good man to continue the family business."

"Yes, my Archon. I will convey your wishes in the morning." the housekeeper spoke with a neutral voice.

Moreo heard footsteps coming towards him so he hid behind one of the big vases. The housekeeper went without noticing anything but Moreo still stayed hidden in case Tychano was also leaving his study room for going to bed. However, despite a minute passing nothing happened so he went out of his hiding place passed the closed door of the studying room and came in front of his own room's door.

Moreo opened the door slowly but what he saw rooted him to the spot. There was nothing in his room, not even a bed. Looks like Tychano was quick to remove all traces of him from the house. He was boiling with rage but there was nothing he could do. Even going to the family vault was out of the question because the key was always carried by his father as a necklace. And waking up his sister and asking help from her was also out of the question as he didn't know what would be the reaction of her.

He closed the door of his room and turned around to leave the house but when passing in front of Tychano's room, he stopped because suddenly, he remembered something. Tychano was planning to send the letter in the morning so he was still his heir, legally. If something were to happen to Tychano, everything from this manor to the golds was going to become his.

Moreo touched the pocket of his trousers and felt the small knife. He could finish it in seconds and be done with it. He hesitated for it because that man was the one who raised him but when he thought thoroughly, he realized that that man was also the one who threw him out so all his hesitation was gone like a fly. He took off his shirt and tied it to his face as he didn't want to be recognized in case of failure.

Moreo looked through the keyhole and saw Tychano afoot, drinking his favourite wine. His back was facing Moreo so it was the perfect moment. He slowly opened the door but as the door squeaked, Tychano turned around thinking the housekeeper was back. However, seeing a person with a cloth tied to his face, he was shocked.

"Who are…" Tychano tried to yell but Moreo jumped onto him without waiting even a second. He swung the knife in his hands but as Tychano raised his arm to protect himself, he was only able to his arm.

Tychano dropped the glass in his hands and it shattered to countless shards. Without thinking, he grabbed Moreo's throat with both of his hands. However, Moreo did not stand idle. He stabbed the knife to his belly again and again. Both of them fell to the floor. Tychano was able to do nothing and all he did sensed was a pain but still, his hands were on Moreo's throat and he was not letting him go.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming from the hallway and the door of the room opened. Ferora was standing on the door with her nightdress and a dagger on her hands. She was holding the dagger with both of her hands. She was shocked when she saw a man on top of his father with a knife buried to his father's belly.

Tychano tried to yell at his daughter to run but all that came out of his mouth was blood.

"Let go of my father!!" Ferora yelled at the top of her lungs and lunged forward.

Moreo turned his head to see who it was but when he saw it was his sister, he was dumbfounded. He was hoping that she did not come because of the sounds of the glass' shattering and fighting.

When Moreo came to his senses, there was already a dagger buried to the left side of his back. His hand left the knife and he tried to talk, "Sist…"

Ferora was shocked when she heard the voice because this voice belonged to someone she knew very well. It was the voice of her brother. Her eyes looked towards her father but his eyes were already without a lustre.

As she was looking at her father, his brother's body fell on top of his father's. She didn't want to believe it but to be sure she still turned over the body and untied the cloth on his face. When she saw his face, tears were already sliding down from her face.

**********

Sometime later in the temple…

Gerold, Innar, Aemar and several important members of the Tyroshi temple were planning the assassination of Tychano Ormel when the door suddenly knocked and a priest came in.

Gerold and others turned their heads and looked at the man. As this was a meeting of the highest orders, it was no place for an ordinary man.

"Your… Your Holiness, forgive me but the daughter of Tychano Ormel is at the doors of the temple. There is blood on her hands and she asked for Bishop Innar.