3 - Who's having who?

The bell chimed and the entire castle went suddenly lively after light evaded the calm darkness. Rays of the sun extended through the trees and the open windows in Euseff and Dakila's untouched abode.

Euseff was thinking twice of whether he has entered a secluded cult in the middle of a missing island or he was simply being toyed at. He went here to see his father, he worked with his uncle for this in a year just to reach this island.

When the boy of thirteen thought of everything through, this is along his plan, yet why is it that he was near for all that he had prepared for, but at the most critical moment, he is not ready.

Euseff took a second glance to his uncle, he was not exactly worried even when the older has never spoken since reaching the island. If taken measure of who's had the better chance of a quick escape, Dakila can just leave whenever he wants to. Besides, he needs this man more than the man needs him. He faced and grasped the smooth-cured Nara Wood contemplating while hearing hurried murmurs, noises of feet jumping and running to wear clothes and shoes. Euseff took a good look at himself, clothed so tiredly and effortless, he didn't even sleep.

After a miniscule amount of moment thinking the entirety of war's plan Euseff was rushed to be in forefront, he made a good smell of his breath and closed his eyes while twisting the doorknob in the slowest of the fastest time he could.

In front of his door, Euseff stood straight. Murmurs, cluttering, and decluttering echoed from the hastily preparing figures. They all lined straight outside their doors, staring blankly at walls, breaths in rhythm. When the door in front of Euseff opened, a tall boy came out–head reaching the door's peak, he was the tallest among everybody else. 'I have not seen such tall person.'

Beside the 'Tall Person,' lined next the boys of whether age or by who is the shortest gets on the last door next to the stairs. All of them followed a trail of looks: dark hair, green eyes. They all wear the same linen of clothing. Dark and simple Pontesa Shirt, the cotton clothing fitting and extending up the neck while also cut of the sleeves for 'Better Movement,' according to its patrons. It was popularized from the merchants of Pontesa Kingdom where men are known being braggart of their body shapes and forms. The Pontesa Shirt was matched with belted black matted two-pocket Demir pants, this is the lower garments invented during the Great Fabric Shortage that sparked the South Harbor Piracy and later the Demir Wars of the Demiri Region that lasted three hundred years–some philosophers just names it as War for Demir Pants. Euseff couldn't agree more, Pontesa Kingdom belong under the Demiri Region, that entire region really likes fabrics.

Euseff saw Jacksie from the side of his eye, he was four doors away from the youngest and shortest, but he surely is the stubbiest that nearing of not enough stretching fabric to fit his belly and push up his hidden neck. First thing that obviously separates them to Euseff is they all look more neat and had more baths, second thing is he is the only who's standing at the left side of the gold and white hall while them at the right.

'Why are we on this position?' Euseff inwardly questions, he remembered he was not supposed to ask for things he was not ready to know. He felt eyes melting him into a live candle from how everybody bores at him from their sides. He met the gaze of the 'Tall Person,' he was emotionless and his spring meadow eyes felt like it was swaying along the wind, calm and strong, he reminisced something about that colors and he immediately pulled it out of his mind.

'He has very good jaw and eyes.' Euseff noted not to mess with this 'Tall Person.'

A heavy step reached the end of the stairs.

Sound of heartbeats nearly followed the same thud.

The heavy step turned and observed, then made its first stride.

Two strides.

Three.

Four.

Five. The steps paused.

Silence meant every moment, then a slap boomed the ears of everyone at the hall.

The body that fell scurried to stand up with its back straight, then a slap rung blown after another. Someone was continuously falling and standing up, slowing down after each but the slap remains strong and hard.

Euseff pursed his lips, no one was talking or breathing. Standing with hands at the back, they are as still as the crowned statues at both ends of the hall, listening blindly at someone being beaten up. Euseff who grew at the streets knew more than anyone not to get tangled at someone else's troubles, especially when the trouble makes him shudder indirectly with every hit.

After the series of strikes, muffled whimper of a boy was followed by a drop. This time, the body is struggling to stand.

"Stand up!" A thunderous voice commanded.

The body held to anything behind him, the door started shaking, slowly until it stood up again.

Smack.

The hit was harder and firmer this time, the painful whimper finally escaped and the boy can be heard of soft suppressed cries, unable to stand up again.

When the commotion ended, the heavy strides continued.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five. The stride stopped between the 'Tall Person' and Euseff. It is as tall as giant if nothing compares. It has a broad arm hiding beneath the pitch black linen of sleeve, emblems and gold epaulets signifies its rank that cannot be disobeyed, graying sideburn and beard were sharply cut to reveal the high cheekbone that lifts the deep and keen eye.

"Ten rounds, no break." It instructed imperatively.

"Yes, General Tresinfort." The 'Tall Person' replied in a similar manner.

'General... what is a general doing raising hand on a child?' Euseff thought.

At the other side of the General, he earlier noticed the child with unkempt hair and untidy clothes. The boy's skinny with tired eyes. He turned his foot and faced the boy with a height of his wrist.

Euseff felt his skin shivered and his knees betraying him, he did not dare look up, his palm sweating cold behind him and his mind swirling blank.

"Forename." The giant stated, not questioned. It's an order.

The skinny boy flinched, nearly jumped, as he was re-organizing his mind. He was searching and searching, but he couldn't just find it. He forgot his name.

"You don't have name?" The general had his doubts.

"I-I do." The boy hesitantly answered, muffled.

"Why are you mumbling to yourself, get your back straight, eyes forward!" The thunderous voice pierced both young ears of the boy.

Forest green eyes were showing signs of welling up and matched the tone "I do... sir!"

"Then what is this stupid name you're trying to hide?"

"Euseff."

"What?"

"Euseff..."

"Why are you talking with the breath on your nose, use your throat. What is your name?" The general shouted incessantly and is becoming impatient.

"Euseff!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs in a very high-pitched voice like a chalk grinding in a metal sheet.

Giggles and suppressed laughters came from the other boys behind.

"Silence!" The giant raised his two fingers and everyone gets to shut up.

"Age." The giant continued.

"Thirteen!" Euseff gradually learned the correct way to shout.

"Mother's name." The next order sounded more melancholic, yet still yelling at him.

Euseff was stunned, how could he not? He has not even spoken that very name since years ago. The last time he heard that name, it was in a nightmare. The nightmares that haunted his nights and lead him on this island. That nightmare is not the natural nightmare, it was spring at the meadows of Acllan. He was lying in the middle, small and young. His forest green eyes were dried of tears and his clothes tattered. On that greens, his mother had her head laying at his thighs and smiling happily at him, adoring his small face and grubby hands. His mother pulled a strip of his clothes and placed it on her mouth, munched it and swallowed. Her teeth had threads and mud stuck in between. His mother continuously pulls strips from him, until it was his skin. He just lays there emotionless, calm, and strong for his mother.

"Is it Ruella?" The general insinuated.

Euseff's knees emboldened having found its composure, palms stopped sweating, his shuddering faded away, and his eyes looked up directly meeting the sharpness of the giant's brown orbs that towers over him. He coldly said, "Yes...my lord."

The boy and the general had peered at each other for some time when the general turned forward and faced all of them at the end of the hall. He pulled a pocketwatch draped at his wrist.

The general prepared everyone. "All those who I have not taken of attention. You have five minutes to reach the training grounds in four... three... two... one!"

In an instant, feet of all sizes ran at the stairs, their shadows faded from sight.

The general stepped to the 'Tall Person' and said, "Bring your brothers proper care." After the short words, the general did not wait for the reply and followed the steps down, disappearing along the shadows.

Three boys left: the 'Tall Person,' the whimpering boy lying on the ground, and Euseff.

Lost in reverie of the moments of his nightmare, Euseff could not muster what had happened. He just stood there, not hearing everything after he confirmed the true name of his mother to the giant.

The 'Tall Person' walked over and pulled up Euseff from the back of his upper cloth with skillful strength where the smaller boy was unable to reach anything if he struggles. He also did the same to the whimpering boy as they formed like a walking tree with two spiders clawing on air, finding the correct balance.

They went through hall by hall, the place was endless. Euseff and the beaten boy was being stared at and gossiped by the people as if they must have missed a fight which an unknown child to the left beat a native unconscious at the right.

"Oh my, Yules. What had happened?" A lady in a wetnurse dress helped the 'Tall Person' carry the injured.

The Wetnurse gently placed the injured at the bed, then the tall boy went beside the other bed and thrown Euseff. Euseff cursed and fixed his clothes, sitting by the bedside.

'So that brute half giant is Yules that Jacksie has been very proud of, nothing to pride at all. Not even as handsome. I bet he would be just like that general who looked like a monster inside and out.' Euseff ridiculed.

"Oh, my dear Artur. What has happened, Yules, he was just here yesterday and the day before. This has been worsening by his every visit." The wetnurse worries, unable to decide which side of the swollen and bruised face is she to touch first.

Yules explained, "Still wishing to leave, he does not listen. Just flay his face open, Mama, I am being tortured by such insolent."

"No!" Artur cried, he cannot open an eye.

"How about a finger, just so I can get those punishments you are pushing at my back everyday, huh?" Yules leaned his back at the wall, relieving his pulsing temple. "I can't even sleep thinking what idiocy you are planning next."

"Shut up!" Artur snapped hoarsely.

"You shut up!" Yules jumped over Artur, fuming.

"You're a coward!" Blood seeped from the side of Artur's mouth, his hand wiping his tears.

"You little–"

"Stop it, Yules." The wetnurse they call 'Mama' halted the heaving chest of Yules and pointed him to sit down.

"I should go, I still have to do it ten times this time, thanks to that little shit." Yules did not wait further and left the Wetnurse's attending.

"You're the shit, you deserve that!" A wound stretched open at the last cry of Artur.

The Wetnurse sighed and gave a nod to the younger helpers, gesturing them to help her treat Artur's wounds.

"How about this one, Lady Trensinfort?" A girl, also a helper wearing an eyepatch, asked promptly as she had already readied fresh clothes and other needs for bath just after seeing the young lord Yules carry the dirty-looking child.

'This one is a Tresinfort as well, she has a character of caring and heartwarming as Jacksie. How come that giant is deprived of such virtues?' Euseff mocked the general continuously, 'Such brutes deserve hate.'

"Inevitable stalling even halted me to meet you first, the General must have scared you. Please accept the apologies in behalf of my brother. I am Elennis of Tresinforts." The wetnurse conveyed sincerely.

He did not speak, Euseff's vision were attracted on the bathing tools and fresh clothes.

Elennis followed the boy's gaze and easily found his desire, she smiled. "Maya, kindly help our guest find a warm bath and lead him to attend my tables afterwards. We will have continue our pleasantries when everything has been settled."

Maya, the girl helper nodded and made the boy trail after her steps. Reaching the damp grounds, Maya gestured that Euseff can expect the bathroom vacant.

Closing the door, Euseff did not wait and jumped hurriedly on the water. Although he certainly misses the pipes that controls the temperature of the freshwater from the north continents, the freeflowing water from which he suspect to be coming straight from the river and treated meticulously is just as satisfying.

Reflecting himself on the mirror, Euseff saw many seemingly unnecessary fabrics and pockets within the body-fitting Pontesa Shirt that everybody wears. It had seamless rubber laces sewed on both the sides of pelvis and below the ribs. Atop the shoulders, three black rivet buttons aligns in-disguise with three another seamless rubber laces towards his back. Busying on the Demir pants, it was plain-looking from its outside but ten pockets surrounds the behind of the belt loops' waistband. Similar laces were at the kneesides and above the bottom hems.

'It's modified to carry weapons,' Euseff made the most plausible theory. He checked anything peculiar on his shoes, but it was just the normal sturdy ones.

"Are you done?" The girl attending him asked exasperatedly.

Maya saw the boy she was tasked to provide help, this time he had an appearance of good smell and organized hair. However, his skinny limbs can't still go unnoticeable.

"I don't eat greens." The boy stated.

"What?" Maya tilted her head, fathoming such absurd statement out of the blue.

"I'm skinny, you were thinking of what food I would like. I told you." Euseff consciously hugged himself, hiding his exposed stick-like arms.

Maya understood and inwardly made an 'O' out of her lips, but she was actually thinking of how this boy really looked as younger twin of the young lord, Yules. Their faces were simply cut from the same fruit, just that this one looked very poor.

All the young lords at the western halls of the Children's Castle had distinct similarities that made them very recognizable apart from the townspeople. Maya learned that their green eyes and abnormally straight noses were brought as grace from the heart of Crea Setas, the capital of Crosenthalm. Crea Setas is among the glorious sixteen cities made famously by the legends, The Bays of Imperia. It was precisely taught to them that their young lords inherited the looks of that country's Highborns.

Maya is currently borrowing books from the tables of Lady Tresinfort as she was allowed by her ladyship to learn the seven most used languages in five continents. On her borrowings, she was purposefully taking an extra book to read the Volumes of World History written by Erheste Galistricia.

Written by Erheste Galistricia, The Sixteen Cities of Imperia were founded during the Fifth Everlast Xyrinth. It was also written that during the Xyrinthian Eon, those cities were the pinnacles of beauty brought to lands from the sky in benevolence of Bat-hala, the God above the Family of Creations.

The Magistry's teaching tells that an Everlast spans thousands of years, but no specifics were made when it started or ended and the very reason it was just renamed as Eons to sound more definite.

An Everlast is not just a symbolic Title in history, but the Will of Time; it is the Title of Cultures, how all the cultures and traditions are being reshaped to fit how time wanted it; Title of Knowledge, the swiftness of making breakthroughs in advancing the world's general wisdom; Title of Abundance, how abundant is the amount of all the world's resources: and, Title of Statecraft, the structure of governance and military that is being used. All these are affected by the Will of Time, thus, making its collective name as Titles of Time. It was speculated the possibility that an Eon can be advanced or more chaotic than the others, but it was widely known that most of strips from history were washed away unfound. Most of the Relics of each Eon that proved evident of their existence are the Megalithic Structures they built that survived for thousands and thousands of years–some of which are the famed Sixteen Cities of Imperia.

When Maya found out that a boy from those lands is coming, she was really looking forward to see a live subject of that glory as the books described. Her expectations are: the boy must be very rich, he must look very handsome as the other young lords, and he wears extravagant clothes that she had not seen before while speaking of language she just reads out of a lifeless book. To her disappointment, she just got a little replica of the young lord, Yules, if he was born a beggar.

Looking at the shyly young lord, Maya pouted, losing inspiration and adjusted her eye patch.

"Why are you wearing an eye patch, are you blind?" Euseff asked her.

"You shouldn't ask people with eye patches if they are indeed blind, young lord." Maya warned him and made a sign to follow her.

'Young Lord,' Euseff's tongue was stuck in his throat. Such address is uncalled for and very extravagant for him.

Walking hall by hall, Euseff suddenly made some guesses. "How about I ask if you are the only blind person at the island?"

The girl halted and blankly stared at him if he was serious. "Why, do you wish to gather half blinds and form a party of vision-impaired people against the other young lords? I have seen other ridiculous parties as yours formed by your brothers and I very much like to be excluded, young lord." Maya remained strong-willed.

"What? They make parties? No, I was just hoping to know if you know Lynnally." Euseff explained.

Maya sized up the boy, "Do you already know her? You haven't even been introduced at the Dinings yet."

"I just know her... from Jacksie."

"I see. They were born of the same mother unlike everybody else so they hate each other unlike everybody else." Maya clearly pointed and continued their journey.

Euseff was bewildered of the story behind the two, 'Why so if they were the only true siblings?'

With a knock, both the child of the same height entered the Tables of Lady Tresinfort. It was a room of literal tables, with multiple bookshelves and vaults lying open with scattered documents flying about.

"Her ladyship must have still attending other matter, her orders is for us to go here and so we must wait." Maya told when they found the room empty of any Lady Tresinfort.

On the right side of Euseff, he found a vault filled with envelopes stamped of a bird in the field of green stars. All were written to 'Ellenis Tresinfort' from 'Oxelia Everlark.' Euseff ogled one some of the other names, a few names were written as subject, instead of a receiver. The subjects contain 'Arturis,' 'Geraim,' 'Jacquesimer,' 'Yulsivier,' 'Aarabeth,' and 'Sebaste' that Is especially tainted in dark ink. While he was interestingly caught in attention of the name that was taken with special stress, he saw an open envelope outside the vault. Multiple teared paper were filled inside the envelope with the same contents. Named large at back after the envelope: 'Euseff.'

'Red-haired Fugitive of Vittor Province.'

'14-15 years old'

'Galistrician Green Eyes'

'Carrying a Puppet that looked like an Old Man'

'Stolen 2000 Gold Livra'

'Whoever leads him to the Missing Island on Whispering Seas will be rewarded of 60,000 Gold Livra...'