Emptiness

Chapter 10

Majestic.

Magnificent.

Breathtaking.

He was short of words. He had used all the words he had learnt from the tutors, yet those words were not enough to describe.

The creature was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

He was in awe of the regal creature in front of him.

The size of the creature would make any human tiny while standing near it.

At the same time, he was scared.

He was nothing but an ant in front of the creature.

Alan’s tiny fingers gripped his father’s tunic while his father laughed at his expression, muttering how cute Alan was.

Little Alan pouted at his father for being called cute.

He puffed up his chest and lifted his chin up, showing how he was not afraid, and he definitely wasn’t cute or anything. He was Alan Mandana, the Crown Prince of Veron.

His father shook his head at his antics and pinched his cheeks, making him glare at his father.

His father chuckled, saying that he had never seen anyone this cute.

Alan pouted again, hating that his father kept on saying that c-word. Alan didn’t like it since his relatives were always pinching his cheeks and saying what a cute child he was.

Alan had enough of them.

But, it was his father.

So, Alan will let him.

“Enough pouting, Alan. It only makes you cuter.”

“Father….”

“Okay, okay. I won’t call you cute even though you’re definitely cute.”

Alan huffed and turned his face away from his father, pretending to be angered with him. This only made his father to smile more.

Usually, his father would always lift him and keep him in his arms whenever possible, and Alan would protest that he was a Prince and a grown boy, even though he secretly enjoyed the attention and love of his father. His father would get amused, saying that Alan was very old since he had turned five this year and, pretending to treat Alan like an adult.

It was one of the many games they played.

Alan loved his father a lot, a lot more than anyone in his life.

More than Egav, more than Vabeo, and more than even his mother.

Alan loved his father and enjoyed their time together. Alan had seen how the other kings treated their sons. They will treat their children harshly when the children don’t meet their expectations. But his father was different. His father pampered Alan to no end and showered him with all the love.

Alan would let his father carry him whenever possible.

But he didn’t protest today as he was little, only a little scared of the creature in front of him.

Today, his mother, the Queen, had upset Alan when she scolded him for entering the twins’ room and trying to play with his siblings.

His father had scolded his mother and had carried him off to the woods of Veron’s castle, trying to cheer him up.

“Come now, look at Galot.”

Alan let go of his pretense of anger, as none could ever stay angry with his father for long. Alan’s father was a charming and kind person. His father’s joy and laughter were infectious, making anyone around him to feel better.

Galot was an Agvi.

Agvi was the official symbol of Veron country. You can find Agvi in Veron’s flags and military uniform. It was Veron country’s pride.

Agvi was a species that could only be found in Veron country and only ever responded to Mandanas.

A Mandana alone can control Agvi. But not every Mandana can control an Agvi.

Agvi was a creature that could fly in the sky and could take a rider along with it too, providing a huge advantage to Mandanas, which made their neighbors envious.

If it was snake for Raagas, Kogans for Uras, then it was Agvis for Mandanas.

An adult Agvi can grow up to twice the size of a horse and have huge wings to support its weight while it flies in the sky. Unlike other creatures, Agvi’s strength lay with their wings, for their flapping can create pressure in the atmosphere and will be deadly to enemies during a war.

Other people were scared of Agvi’s because they had an Egav on their own. It wasn’t an ordinary creature.

It was a regal creature that ruled the mountains of Veron. None could capture them, as they were very prideful, and if an Agvi felt like it was losing the fight, it would let the enemy slay them rather than be enslaved to anyone other than Mandanas.

They had six legs, two horns and belonged to the omnivorous class. Two legs in front and two legs behind, while the middle two legs were to support its enormous size on the ground.

They live in the deep of the mountains and build their nests in caves. The Agvi’s vary in color, but most of them were usually chestnut or brown in color with patterns of blue.

Their coats shine under the sunlight, making them like an otherworldly being descended from the heavens. The people of Veron worshipped them, and they had a temple in the Veron for Agvis.

They are pack creatures as they form groups among themselves. They only make screeching sounds, but when one of its partners dies, or a leader of the pack dies, their cries make it rain.

It would be soul-wrenching to see the Agvis cry.

Agvis fascinated Alan like nothing ever did. And one of the very few topics he listens to when his tutor teaches him about.

They interact only with Mandanas. That was why the Agvi’s were sacred creatures for Mandanas.

Alan had always dreamt of riding an Agvi one day in the future, even as a child.

He had loved them.

They were his favorite creatures in the entire Vabeo, and he always felt pride being a Mandana and having ancestors who once tamed these majestic creatures to let them ride on its back.

And his father’s was as beautiful as the rest of the Agvis, if not more.

His father had named his Agvi, Galot.

Galot was a special Agvi that stood out from the rest of the Agvis by its color. Unlike the ordinary Agvis, which usually were brown or chestnut in color, Galot was a silver Agvi with blue stripes.

The silver color indicated his father’s pureness, or that was what Knight Anon said to him when Alan bugged him for more information about Agvis, especially his father’s Agvi, Galot.

“They are dangerous creatures until you tame them, Alan.”

This was the first time his father had introduced Alan to his Agvi, Galot, even though he had been pestering his father for a long time. His father had refused to take Alan to meet Galot, saying Alan was very young.

But today, Alan’s father, Rayden, had decided to take Alan to meet Galot. Alan had been upset and sulking in his room, not understanding why his mother hated him like this. No matter what he does, she always gets angry with him.

Alan didn’t disturb the twins; he just wanted to go and see if they were awake and spend some time with them.

His father couldn’t see him upset and had lifted Alan from the bed and walked towards the woods of Veron castle.

Father had dismissed Anon Bradiga when he insisted on accompanying them. Alan had stuck his tongue, smirking at Anon when his father dismissed him.

Alan – 1; Anon Bradiga – 0, for today.

Knight Anon had shaken his head at Alan’s antics but obeyed his father’s orders and stayed back as Galot gets possessive of their riders sometimes.

His father took Alan’s hand in his and extended it towards Galot.

Alan stopped breathing when Galot, which had been munching on the grass, now looked straight at him.

“Meet my son Alan, Galot.”

Alan let the breath he had been holding out when his palm met the forehead of Galot, and Galot closed its eyes and nuzzled against his hand, making Alan giggle.

“Pretty.”

Alan’s words made Galot to nuzzle more into his hand and came closer, Galot’s eyes watching Alan as fascinated as Alan was watching Galot.

Alan’s father, Rayden’s laughter broke their eye contact, taking Galot’s attention away from Alan as it moved towards his father and started nuzzling against Alan’s father, taking care not to hurt his father with its horns.

Alan frowned at his father for taking Galot’s attention away.

His father smiled at Galot and caressed its back, and they watched Galot fly in the sky, going back to its family probably.

His father again pulled Alan’s cheeks, smiling at the frown lines on Alan’s face.

“Why, my son, are you perhaps jealous?”

“No, no way, father.”

“It’s okay, Alan. You will find your own Agvi one day and will fly on your Agvi like this.”

Saying that his father threw him in the air, making him laugh in surprise.

“Careful, Your Majesty.”

Anon Bradiga appeared out of nowhere, startling both of them.

“Are you commanding the King to be careful with his son, Anon?”

His father glared at Anon, which didn’t faze Anon anyway.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

His father pouted at Anon, just like Alan did a few minutes ago. Anon Bradiga was the only one who had the nerve to go against Alan’s father since they were childhood friends.

As his father turned away from Anon, making Alan come face to face with Knight Anon. Anon stuck his tongue out this time, making Alan’s eyes widen.

The nerve of him….

Alan:1, Anon: 1.

Alan can never win against Anon Bradiga, it seemed.

His frowning expression disappeared when laughter replaced it as his father threw him in the air again, making Anon to fret over him. Yet, his father threw him in the air as Alan laughed out without fear.

Alan wasn’t scared, for he knew his father would catch him no matter what.

.

Alan woke up with a gasp, feeling his heart filled with sorrow in an instant.

God!

A memory that Alan holds dear to his heart. A treasured memory he never shared with anyone.

Alan could feel the way his tears trailed his cheeks.

His father, Rayden Mandana….

The one person who loved Alan unconditionally….

Alan missed him…

Oh, how much Alan missed him.

Alan wished he could go back in time and stay in the safety of his father’s arms.

Alan would give anything, anything at all, to get his father back.

If only….

If only it were possible to bring back the dead...

Alan raised his hands, kept his face in them, and wept silently.

He let himself cry, for the raw pain of losing his father would never go away from his heart.

There will be emptiness in him that will forever claw at his heart no matter what.

He lost his father. And nothing will bring him back. He wished he had died that day with his father.

There wasn’t a day he regretted running away as his father asked.

If only he had stayed with him.

No…..

No….

Alan had to live.

Alan’s purpose in life was to take revenge on those who were responsible for his father’s death.

Sarse….

The Sarse country and its people.

He would never forgive them for what they had done to his country, Veron.

Sarse was ruled by the Beton family, and the one who had conquered Veron was the son of Sarse country’s King.

Mathew Beton, the one who had taken advantage of Veron when it was fighting Zeta, Vabaaga and Harkon.

Mathew Beton had conquered Veron country and killed his father, Rayden Mandana,

Not only that. To teach the people of Veron to never rebel against them, they had wanted to display his father’s body but, his father had dissolved into droplets of water, probably predicting this, and had turned into water drops, disappearing in the air.

Rayden Mandana was so in connection with water elements that he could transform his body into water drops.

He had gotten the details about his father’s death from the soldiers who had escaped Veron with Queen Mandana. And none could deny their Prince’s direct order.

Mathew Beton, the one who wanted to make an example out of his father, had decided to do something equal since he could not find the body of Alan’s father.

Galot……

Oh, God!

Fresh tears trailed down Alan’s face remembering Galot’s fate.

His father, Rayden Mandana’s pride, Galot, was put on the display.

The dead body of Galot was heart-wrenching to see.

A cart pulled by many Egavians displayed the body of Galot to different villages of Veron.

Knight Anon had put a hand in his mouth and had restricted Alan with his Egav when Alan saw it during his stay in a village in disguise while Anon and Alan were trying to escape Veron and reach Avarius, where Alan’s grandfather is.

His mother had already escaped to Avarius along with the twins and soldiers she had gathered, taking advantage of the chaos of war.

But it was Anon, who had been trying to get Alan past the Betons and to reach Avarius safely.

During the stay in one of the villages in disguise, as Betons were searching for Alan thoroughly all over the country, that was when Alan saw Galot’s condition.

Knight Anon had whisked him away from there discretely, suppressing Alan’s heart-wrenching cries for Galot.

Galot….

Rayden Mandana’s companion and the one that protected Alan’s father just as much as Knight Anon.

God!

Alan will never forgive the Sarse people or the Uras for taking away his father.

The only one he had.

Because his mother didn’t care if he lived or died, as she had abandoned him even before five years with how she had escaped taking the twins and had left Alan to his fate.

Nothing was left for Anon except hate and pain.

The only reason he was living was for to get revenge for his father and Galot and for the people of Veron, who was still suffering under the rule of Mathew Beton.

Alan cannot live peacefully and stay hidden forever where he wasn’t even respected.

Alan’s birthday went by without anyone knowing about it except for Anon. Anon had given him a chain his father had worn. Alan had kept it safely since it was bigger for him to wear around his neck. But he promised to himself that he would wear it when he got bigger.

He had turned ten a few days before.

Alan wiped his tears away, stealing his resolve as he didn’t know if he would live longer.

People might wonder why a ten-year-old was thinking about dying.

Because he had decided to go against every one of his allies and did the unthinkable.

The courtroom incident had opened Alan’s eyes that no one was his ally, and none cared about him or Veron.

That was why Alan had taken a step thinking a lot about it.

A step into a path that was one way.

There was no turning back from this.

Alan glanced at where he had made the letter combust, not wanting to leave any evidence.

A letter from Nils Mandana…

Nils Mandana, a distant relative and one of the ministers of Rayden Mandana.

Minister Nils, the one who had gathered a small army of Veron’s soldiers scattered around and had been rebelling against Sarse, which had conquered Veron.

None had caught Minister Nils till now.

He has become the bane of Sarse over the last five years. None had captured him over these five years even if Nils looted their treasury, helped Veron people escape from prisons and was doing things he could do on a small scale.

He had always sent letters via some sort of Egav to Alan, letting him know that the Veron army was always waiting for him, hidden from everyone.

Alan had always burnt the letter so that no one would know about it.

The first condition his grandfather had put when he took Alan as a refugee in Avarius safety was that Alan would not choose war or try to rebel against Sarse during his stay in Avarius.

Alan had been obeying by his grandfather’s rules and conditions till the day in the courtroom where none helped him except for Knight Anon.

Alan knew that Knight Anon would stay beside him no matter what path Alan chose to walk.

So, he had written a letter back, acknowledging Minister Nils that Alan hadn’t forgotten about the people of Veron and would get his revenge for his father no matter what, even if he had to die in this process.

Alan knew his grandfather would not forgive him for this, nor would he let Alan stay in Avarius if he came to know about this.

Alan didn’t take this step recklessly.

He cannot stay like this while his people risked their lives to take Veron back.

There was no going back from this.

Alan will keep this as much of a secret as possible till he masters the water element and was powerful enough to lead the army into war.

He will get his Veron back and will kill all those who were involved in his father’s death.

I will avenge you, father.

With that thought, he got up from his bed, knowing that he could not go back to sleep even though it was only midnight.

Alan freshened up and put on an overcoat since the air was getting chilly.

He walked out of his room, ignoring the startled soldiers and moved towards the training field.

He cannot sleep with how revenge and hate burned in him and that too after going through the memory of meeting Galot with his father.

The pain felt too raw.

As he reached the training field and requested the servants to light E-fire surrounding the training field, he began aiming arrows at the target that was now more distant than what he usually aims at.

Water was not responding to him, so he at least had to take control of Zuri’s power in his body.

Alan was not surprised to see Knight Anon beside him.

He concentrated on aiming his arrows in target and spent the rest of the night in training as fire of revenge burned in his heart, driving him to train harder.

~~~~~

Solum tried hard not to make any sound.

He moved slowly and silently, taking extra care not to brush against the bushes, and moved forward towards the vast tree nearby.

Solum stilled when he heard a rustling sound and ducked under the bushes, all the while keeping a tight grip on his small knife.

Uff….

It was just rabbits…

God!

He had gotten scared over some rabbits, but one cannot fault him with how dark the forest was in the nighttime.

It was a rare new moon where both Della and Niten was not in the sky, making it harder for Solum to see the forest in darkness.

There weren’t night flowers around as they grow only in a particular area.

He didn’t have any Egav, so he could not light up an E-fire, nor would he light any kind of fire right now because of the situation he was in.

He cannot let the enemies know his position.

Solum had to win this…

He had to win this by any chance.

He didn’t have any Egav, so what? He had his knife and a few moves to defend himself.

Solum was not ignorant enough to not realize the fact of how he would be nothing in front of Egavians. He knew he wouldn’t stand a chance, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t do his best to defend himself.

Yes, he didn’t have any Egav, but that doesn’t mean he was weak and cowardly.

That was why Solum had been learning moves from the army quarters near the town.

Solum could not risk sneaking into school anymore, for there was security all around the school now.

The training field of the military for newcomers was open to the public, where people could watch and get encouraged to join the army.

Granted, a lowlife was not allowed to mingle with the Egavians, but none would bother them if they watched from afar.

Solum had been trying to copy the stances and moves with a wooden sword he carved on his own, as no lowlife was allowed to have precious metals or swords even if they found them by chance.

It was a crime for a low-life to own anything valuable.

So, Solum had been trying to practice with his wooden sword even though he looked ridiculous. He had to keep them a secret, though, because if his mother found about this, the number of beatings he would get would be enough to make Solum faint and stay on the bed rest for days.

The rabbits moved to their burrows as soon as they saw him, afraid that he would hurt them.

Solum quickly moved away from the bushes and hid behind a tree before they found him.

He had to prove that he was not weak.

That was why he had decided to climb the tree and stay as long as they didn’t find him.

As he gripped the trunk to climb, hands circled his waist, making him gasp at the sudden assault.

“Caught you, Sol.”

Solum put his hand above his chest and tried to calm his heart.

God!

He got scared for a second.

Mico pulled his hand from Solum as he turned around to glare at Mico.

God!

It was so very unfair to Solum.

Solum hadn’t heard Mico’s steps, nor was he able to sense him in the darkness. But it was very easy for Mico to find Solum.

Because Mico had Egav, and Solum didn’t have anything to rely upon except his senses and a pocket knife.

Mico smiled at him as if he knew what Solum was thinking just like always and that only irritated Solum even more.

Solum put his knife back in his pocket and pouted for losing badly in this.

They always win this game, and Solum never wins anything.

Solum hated the superior look on Mico’s face.

“Don’t be smug. I... I went easy on you, Mico.”

“Yeah, yeah. You went easy on me, Sol.”

Mico said with laughter in his voice, making Solum to scowl at him.

Iri jumped from the tree out of nowhere, startling both of them with his appearance.

Did both of them already know where he was and was only indulging him, seeing him run around?

“Yes, Solum. You were brave and managed to hide so well. We only found you because you went easy on us. And, you didn’t get scared of the rabbits at all.”

“You… You….”

Solum was speechless at Iri’s audacity.

God!

He hated both of them!

Hmph!

“No, you don’t hate us, Sol.”

“Can you please stop reading my mind, Mico?”

“I am not a Horns, Sol.”

“But, how do you know what I am thinking all the time, Mico?”

“Because you show everything with your expressions, Sol.”

Solum frowned at Mico.

“Now, Solum. Admit as we agreed.”

Solum glared at Iri, irritated at his heterochromatic eyes and horns that help him see in the dark better than other people. Iri was starting to come out of his shy shell, and he was teasing and playing with Solum. This warmed Solum’s heart.

“Come on, Sol. We bet on it, right?”

Solum didn’t have any choice.

It was his fault, anyway, for starting this game in the first place.

Mico and Iri had somehow gotten into the thought process that Solum had to be taken care of, since he was the one who didn’t have Egav among the three of them. This had made Solum to challenge them in a chasing game. Solum knows the forest more than those two, so he had been confident in hiding from them.

They started the game by pretending Mico and Iri as enemies chasing Solum. The bet was that if Solum won it, they had to stop fretting over him.

And if Solum lost….

Solum had to admit that he was not fit to take care of himself, and he was putting Mico and Iri in charge of it.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Solum. Admit it.”

“Iri, You….”

“Come now, Sol.”

“Okay, okay. I admit that I don’t know how to take care of myself.”

“And…?”

Solum sighed, exasperated at both of them, and continued.

“And that Mico and Iri are in charge of taking care of me in the future. Happy now?”

Iri and Mico nodded their heads and looped their hands with each other, moving towards the small hut they call it home and chatted around about how they found Solum easily.

As they reached the small clearing near the hut, Solum stopped walking, startling both of them by suddenly stopping them.

“What is it, Sol?”

“Can we look at the stars for a while?”

Solum wanted to look at the stars and enjoy the view of the sky with his friends. There weren’t moons to take the attention away from stars today, so he wanted to see the vast sky with Mico and Iri.

Iri went inside the hut to get blankets, not saying anything, while Mico used his Egav to clear the dried leaves and dust away, raising a small shield around the clearing, so that they would remain safe.

Mico’s Egav was developing and he cannot be any prouder of Mico and Iri.

Iri put the blanket on the grass, and they lay down with Solum in the center and Mico on the right, as Iri took the left side of Solum in the blanket.

They cocooned Solum and it felt safer than ever.

They spent some time watching the stars above and Solum slowly drifted to sleep, hearing stories of different stars in Mico’s soothing voice.