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“So, so, Dad? Spit it out! What’s my gift, already!?”
Cai had finally cornered his father, after waiting all day for him to reveal the present for his 15th birthday.
“Hmm…” replied his father nonchalantly, arms crossed. “I was thinking of taking you somewhere… a little town in the middle of nowhere called ‘Dagsion’ or something like that…”
He gave him a wink.
“It’ll be a nice change of scenery, don’t ya think?”
Cai’s breath caught in his throat.
Dagsion, the imperial capital of Dagda.
The place he’d always dreamed of going to watch the Heroic Games!
This annual event brings together brave fighters who compete to achieve victory and have their dearest wish granted by the Divine Sovereign.
It’s the greatest spectacle in the world!
Cai loves Ribeira, the little village where he grew up, but it would be a lie to say he didn’t dream of traveling.
He jumped for joy and hugged his father, laughing: “HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT, OLD MAN!? It’s not some backwater town!” he laughed.
“Oh, really?” He ruffled his son’s hair with a smile. “I was even planning to invite your friends to join us-”
“WOW, that’s awesome! We’ve got to let them know right now!” said the boy as he rushed toward the front door.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—I’ve already done that!” added the father, tugging his son by his hood. “Come help me pack our things instead. We’re leaving tomorrow!”
Shortly afterward, they set off on the backs of ornius, accompanied by Cai’s childhood friends, Tialla and Peter.
Everything was going so well; Cai felt like he was on cloud nine…
Looking back, he should have savored that moment a little more, his father’s presence, those happy days… before the descent into hell.
How could he, right in the middle of that dream, have foreseen the tragic fall that lay ahead?
The next day, in a brutal emotional roller coaster, his father was thrown away in prison.
It’s a beautiful, cloudless evening, yet the streets of Dagda’s capital show no signs of quieting down, seeming even livelier than during the day.
People are loud and cheerful, alcohol flows freely in the taverns, warriors competing for the Heroic Games test their strength in arm-wrestling matches, which sometimes end in riots, while merchants beckon tourists to smell their spices and taste local specialties... it’s chaotic.
Too chaotic for Cai.
He wanted to be alone for once.
But in this vast, unfamiliar city, solitude no longer exists. Still, he searches for a place, a corner, or even a hole where he could hide and mope, away from the world. He’s ready to dig if he has to…
In a dark alley, he slumps against a wall.
His distress… that part of himself he didn’t even know existed just a short while ago—he’s trying hard to hide it from his friends and his new allies.
*I can’t discourage them when the start of the Games is so close…*
He must remain the energetic, positive young boy who loves catching animals ! The one who, when someone is down, is the first to cheer them up.
But who is he lying to by pretending he’s still a good person? He knows the truth.
If he really is such a warm and supportive friend, then why did he unjustly send his father to prison?
He presses his fingers to his face, clenching them against his forehead.
Ever since he was a child, he’s been told over and over to think before he acts—and look where that’s gotten him!
To this incident.
Fear tightens his throat; he’s suffocating.
Panic overwhelms him; he's trembling.
His father’s gaze, etched into his memory…
It’s all his fault. And the fault of this damn stone lodged in his hand!
“Dad… forgive me… don’t look at me like that, Dad…”
He feels a pain on his face. His fingernails, stained red, dig into his skin, leaving wounds right behind them.
Yet there is still hope: the Heroic Games.
Perhaps all is not lost; he can save him if he wins them.
That’s the only reason he’s fighting.
As usual, it takes him only a few moments to pull himself together.
He pulls his hood over his head, hoping to hide his scars, and weaves his way as best he can through the crowd to take the street leading to a building where he knows few people will be at this late hour.
Tialla has often told him about it since their arrival: the great library of Dagsion. The largest in the entire country.
And if it’s that big, he might be able to find a quiet corner, right?
Even though he’s not much of a reader, he’ll be able to relax here. It’s been a tiring day, and training sessions have been piling up over the last few days.
His legs carry him to the tower’s entrance. He looks around: no one’s there except the guards.
He goes inside, grabs the first book he sees, and sits down by a window, the one farthest from the entrance. The librarian, half asleep, barely notices him.
The day after they arrived, Cai had gone out with Tialla to explore Dagsion.
The morning was cool thanks to the sea breeze.
They climbed a building still under construction and clung to a wooden post. Filled with wonder, the teenagers took in the vastness of the city from above.
The harbors, the aqueducts, the temples for worshiping the gods…
It was simply a magnificent view.
The boy crouched down and raised his hand which now held a gem (something that still surprised him) above his eyes to get a better look.
“Hey, what’s that parade over there?”
There was a crowd of soldiers heading toward the Colosseum.
From where they stood, they could estimate there were a good thousand soldiers.
“Looks like there’s royalty here ! That palanquin over there proves it,” she explained, pointing to the object in question, carried by four soldiers.
“That’s impressive… Maybe they’re the tournament favorites…” He swallowed. “Do you think that’s the emperor’s army?”
She shook her head.
“No, our empire’s uniforms don’t look anything like theirs,” she corrected.
“...Their uniforms are very revealing, by the way...” Cai commented.
“Maybe they’re from a hot country, like Saramis? Most of them have ashen skin too.”
The two teenagers watched the parade intently. The yellow banners were the same color as that country’s flag.
“By the way, why would their king be participating in the Games? He can already buy anything with his money, now that I think about it.”
“She looks more like a woman to me, Cai,” she corrected with a bored air.
Indeed, the noblewoman wore many golden ornaments, and her armor was gilded as well. Her crown was made of bone, striking fear into the people as she passed by.
“Ah, you’re right! She, too, is… um… not wearing much. Wait a minute- she’s wearing nothing but armor!?” said Cai, grimacing.
“Hmm… that’s strange, I thought they had a king, too…” she murmured, trying to ignore Cai’s awkward comment.
They took in the view, discussing what they might do with Cai’s father and Peter during their stay. Peter was still sleeping at the inn; the father had stayed with him.
“Go have fun, it’s not every day you get to visit Dagsion! And Cai, don’t go buying any more junk—life’s expensive here!”
he’d said before the two teenagers left the inn. “Don’t come back with tons of candy and DON’T WALK AWAY WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU-!”
The door slammed shut.
“Oooh, Cai, look! I think the library is over there!” she exclaimed, pointing to a tower.
“Where? All I see is the skewer stand at the end of the street,” he joked.
“Haha! That’s true, it’s on the way to the library. Come on, you walking stomach, let’s go now!”
She’s crazy about books; she can’t walk past one without opening it! Cai is sure she could smell a book from miles away. Her grandfather, with whom she lives, forbade her from reading, so she had to indulge her passion in secret.
When the girl with pigtails has her mind set on something, there’s no stopping her, so the boy goes along with it.
They walked down the shopping streets and slipped into the crowd, admiring the beautiful items and listening to the bards. There was so much to see that they simply couldn’t just walk right by!
Among the merchants, a woman in her forties with grayish skin was selling books. Sitting on a rug, no one stopped in front of her. Tialla, of course, did so without hesitation.
"Hello, ma'am! Can I look through these books?" asked Tialla, her eyes sparkling.
"Hello there, young lady. Take all the time you need," replied the saleswoman.
The teenager did just that, reading the pages at an astonishing speed. It seemed as though she could finish the entire book in just a few minutes. Not only did she read quickly, but she also remembered everything she read and could copy it down perfectly.
Cai had already moved on to the stall across the street.
“Wow… This is the story of Arago! There are even translations of their dialect! You really can find everything here!” she remarked, without looking up from the book.
The older woman stared at her thoughtfully, then pulled an unbound book out of her bag, which was sitting behind her.
“Indeed… I also have books on the history of Dagda in general. There’s one, in particular, about the Kingdom of Saramis, if you’re interested…” the vendor offered.
She handed her a stack of old, fragile papyrus sheets held together by a string.
“Saramis?” Tialla asked in surprise. “That’s strange, I’ve never been able to read anything about that nation… in fact, I’ve never been able to find a book written by a Saraminian!” she said, delicately taking the volume.
“They are indeed rare to find. That people sees things differently; they… prefer oral tales to written ones,” explained the vendor. She added: “Since you’re the first person to show interest and you’re a book lover just like me, I can give you a good price. 100 coins for these two books.”
The sound of a purse clattering to the carpet echoed.
"I'LL TAKE IT!"
The transaction was a success. Tialla thanked the merchant before turning to her friend, who was waiting for her, the two books in her hands.
“Thank you, ma’am. Goodbye!”
“Goodbye, young scholar. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
“Oh, um…” Tialla looked back and blushed slightly, then smiled. “Yes!”
The woman smiled back.
“May you help us one day…” she murmured. She silently picked up her bag and walked away, leaving her other books on the ground.
The young girl with glasses was poring over her new book of Saramis, ignoring Cai, who had been trying to get her attention for the past five minutes.
“…Welp, I’m eating your share. Aaah-”
“Gimme that!” she said, snatching the meat skewer from her friend’s hands, then sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed.
The midday sun shone down on the city.
After finishing their meal, they arrived at a square near their destination.
It was decorated with statues of deities and banners, and in the center stood a large fountain. Some people were resting there, along with small birds that had come to drink.
The tower was now just a few hundred steps away.
“Whew, almost there!” Cai exclaimed, turning to Tialla. “You okay? Not too tired from all that walking?”
“I can already smell them from here… all those beautiful books~ Wait for me, Mom’s coming to get you… Hehehe…!” she whispered with a grin, ignoring the boy’s question.
“Tialla, stop it, you’re scaring me… You know, sometimes I wonder if you’re even more eccentric than I am-”
Suddenly, a man in armor interrupted the two teenagers and called out to the girl from a distance.
“You! Stop right there!” the soldier ordered.
“Huh!? Me?”
The man advanced toward them, while others appeared from all sides. They were surrounded by Saramis soldiers, the same ones they’d spotted earlier.
Cai instinctively put his arm in front of Tialla, on his guard. He did not like fighting, but he wouldn’t hesitate if he had to do it to protect someone.
His other hand rested on the dagger hanging from his belt.
As for his friend, she could wield certain types of magic, particularly healing and wind magic. However, she preferred to assess the situation before casting any spells.
Behind them was the fountain; on either side, passersby; and in front of them, nothing that could help them.
The bearded commander approached the girl and inspected what she was holding in her arms: the book, but especially the stack of papyri she had bought earlier.
“Where did you find these scrolls!?”
“I-I bought them!”
He stared at her intently as he strode toward her.
“You bought them, huh? To copy them, resell them, and tarnish our history?” he said firmly and incredulously.
“Huh? But why would I do such a thing? Writing is the most precious thing in the world! I bought it out of curiosity, that’s all. I would never dare to defile a written work!” she said; her arguments were quite personal, but she couldn’t help speaking up.
She didn’t expect the soldier to reply:
“Writing is forbidden there, in Saramis.”
“Forbidden…?” Tialla repeated.
Her face paled. Her breathing quickened.
*That woman… She set me up. And I didn’t see it coming…*
She thought books could teach her everything… and yet, she fell for that trap so easily because of them.
*I’m so stupid…*
“However,” continued the soldier, now standing before her, “heretics take pleasure in writing and selling their work so that others will do the same and perpetuate these accursed acts. We were actually looking for one of them. You’re coming with us and you’re going to tell us everything in the prison cell!”
“No… No, wait! It’s not me, I’m not—Ahh!” The young girl’s arm was suddenly grabbed, and the manuscript was snatched from her. The other book fell to the ground.
Cai’s blood ran cold. He shoved the man with all his might and screamed.
“DON’T TOUCH HER, YOU BASTARD!”
“Urgh!”
The soldier stumbled back a few meters. The other soldiers were surprised that their commander had been shoved like that.
The kid was stronger than he looked!
The soldier was furious. And lately, whenever his emotions got the better of him, his left hand would start to itch.
“Cai!” Tialla checked on him and made sure he was okay, holding his arm.
She was touched by Cai’s actions, but he was the reckless type. If he did not calm down, the situation would escalate.
“Thanks, but be careful! You’ll just make them even more angry… I’ll go over there and tell them what happened!”
“You can't be serious! Given how he grabbed your arm, they’re going to hurt you!”
He was right—there was no way to have a civil discussion anymore. She took a deep breath and pulled her magic tome out of her bag.
Curious bystanders were watching the scene. Some were worried, others amused.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re picking on some kids…”
“Ooh, I’m betting on the boy! Hahaha!”
“The people of this country are a disgrace.”
“As long as there’s a fight, I’m having a blast!”
“Shut up, you.”
The leader resumed his position, furious.
“Oh, she won’t be the only one who’s going to get hurt.”
He drew his spear. “I’ll teach you a lesson for provoking the soldiers of Saramis. Hey, guys! Show no mercy! Grab the girl! I’ll take care of the other brat.”
His comrades obeyed him and closed in on them. One of them lunged at Tialla.
“Tialla, watch out- Argh!” Cai cried out, parrying the chief’s spear with his dagger.
She barely managed to defend herself with a wind spell and sent the attacker flying. Fortunately for the teenagers, the patrol seemed to have low resistance to magic.
The Saraminian commander attacked the young boy once more, trying to knock him out, but to no avail, as Cai narrowly dodged the blow.
“Stop!” He shouted as he defended himself.
How could they possibly win, two against eight?
“Think, think…!” Tialla muttered.
That is when words from her childhood came flooding back—words from Cai as a child.
“You read a lot, so you know all kinds of stuff; you can always come up with a solution!”
She took a slow breath, letting the air in her lungs calm her down.
She had an idea. She just needed a little distraction-
“HEY, YOU! Stop bothering them RIGHT NOW!”
“Hmm?”
A young woman with a stocky build stepped out of the swarm of citizens. She wore poor-quality armor and wielded a wooden sword. A warrior apprentice, it seemed.
She shouted, pointing her sword at the leader, “LEAVE THOSE POOR KIDS ALONE OR THERE’LL BE TROUBLE!”
Another, more mature voice rang out from the distance: “BOBBIE! Come back here right now!”
All it took was to ask.
An awkward silence settled over the scene.
Then, one of the soldiers burst out laughing, followed by another, and then another…
Eventually, everyone joined in, including the commander.
But the budding warrior remained unmoved. “Go ahead, laugh. You should be ashamed of yourselves for not lifting a finger to help these kids!” she declared, shooting the citizens a glare.
They averted their eyes—or simply ran away…
The boy taunted his opponents by dodging and brandishing his dagger.
“Surrender, or you’ll pay double the price!” ordered one of them.
Suddenly, a jet of water swept over all their enemies, knocking them down.
“Arrghh!”
Cai was just a decoy.
Using her wind magic, the girl with glasses had created a powerful stream of water to turn against them.
Bobbie opened her eyes again and saw them all lying on the ground.
“… YEAH! That's why you don't mess with Bobbie ! I’M SO AWESOME! MUAHAHAHA!” she celebrated, raising her fist.
“Cai, hurry!” Tialla ran ahead but turned back because he hadn’t followed her right away.
He put something away in his pouch. “Okay!”
She took him by the hand and ran into the crowd.
“The gods of luck are really with us!”
“Hahaha, it’s more like Bobbie is!”
Some soldiers, including their leader, got back on their feet.
The leader knocked Bobbie out with a sharp blow to the back of her neck.
“Oof!” She fell limp.
“Bye bye, Bobbie,” he said before he and his comrades set off in pursuit of the two teenagers again, except for one, who took a different path.
The population of the imperial capital stood at 1 million, not counting tourists. It was easy to lose sight of someone in these streets. The teenagers shook off the soldiers without difficulty.
They slowed down, out of breath, still holding hands.
“Well… where do we go now?” asked Cai.
“I don’t think… ha… we should go back to the inn… ha… without changing our appearance…” gasped Tialla. She was not as athletic as her friend.
“It’s true that we’re easily recognizable…”
He thought for a moment.
“I think I saw a clothing store earlier, when we were up there,” he added.
“Great! We should change our hairstyles too, just in case.”
Cai stopped dead in his tracks.
“Tialla, do you have any idea how HARD it is to deal with frizzy hair!? Only the village barber can cut my hair!” he explained with a serious expression.
The girl’s hair was straight; she couldn’t understand the frustration of having no one who knew how to do her hair.
She remembered a few years ago,
when a barber had arrived in the village.
Cai’s father, desperate because he didn’t know how to tame his son’s hair, saw the barber as an angel sent from heaven when he finished braiding the boy’s hair.
They became regular customers, then friends.
“I can’t just change my haircut like that when my next appointment is in THREE WEEKS! My barber is the reason I go outside. That I can walk these streets with confidence because of the miracles he does to my head, and I’m not going to ruin that!”
Cai exclaimed, suddenly very emotional. He was not joking about his hairdresser.
Tialla giggled. “Then shave it off.”
“NO WAY!”
She laughed, picturing the boy with a shaved head. He felt targeted.
“Get that image out of your head!” He wanted to give her a little nudge with his elbow, but he felt her hand still clinging to his.
The hand he’d always wanted to hold.
Embarrassed, he looked away, as old feelings resurfaced.
Undeniably, he loved his childhood friend. He could not remember when he had first felt this way.
He cherished every moment spent with her—those times when they went for walks, had lunch at the village elder’s little restaurant, or hid to escape their chores in the fields…
He had wanted to have the courage to confess his love to her so much.
Her smile alone was enough to dispel his sorrows and keeps him moving forward without fear.
Now, he was sure he was blushing! Did she notice?
Unfortunately for him, Tialla did notice and let go of him.
“Oh, um… s-sorry!” she stammered, shyly clutching her arm. She seemed just as embarrassed.
“I-It’s nothing, don’t apologize! It didn’t bother me! ”
In his mind, he slapped his forehead. Why did he have to add “It didn’t bother me”!?
Smart as she was, she was clearly going to see right through him and discover his secret love…
Before Cai could clarify anything, his friend asked him in a sincere tone, “Really? “
Her blue eyes had a gleam he couldn’t explain, and her cheeks were the same color as his.
Cai stammered, “O-of course, no need to apologize. With all these people around, we have to stay close to each other so we don’t get lost. You did the right thing by…”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about. Do you really not mind holding my hand?” She insisted.
He froze in place, realizing he could no longer hide anything. So, if that’s the case, he might as well admit it.
“… N-”
“I FOUND THEM, THEY’RE RIGHT THERE!” shouted a soldier perched on the roof of a building.
He certainly picked his moment well.
The two friends jumped.
“Damn it!” they cursed as they took off running.
“Stop right there!” ordered another soldier who was chasing them, shoving passersby out of the way.
Among them was a burly man with a scar over his eye, armed, and next to him, a woman playing the vihuela.
Tialla had an idea. “Follow me!”
Since the alleys were narrow, the teenagers had an easier time squeezing through than adults, so they passed the burly man without any trouble.
However, the soldier chasing them made the serious mistake of bumping into him as he passed.
They heard a jaw snap and a burst of applause. The plan had worked !
“And now, do you know where to go!?” Cai asked again, this time worried.
“As far away as possible… ha… it’s the only way to lose the soldier… who’s up above,” she gasped.
Her friend was exhausted and was slowing down despite herself. He didn’t have much energy left either.
And as if that weren’t enough, they heard more soldiers closing in.
“It’ll be okay, I promise I’ll protect you,” he assured her, taking her hand again to help her run.
“Oh, Cai…”
However, no matter where they went, they were unable to shake off their pursuers. They broke away from the crowd and found themselves in a dead end.
Once again, soldiers—even more numerous than before—surrounded them.
The commander was among them.
“Enough is enough. In the name of the queen Theodora, I will punish you and bring you to her personally,” he announced coldly.
Tialla, disoriented, staggered and muttered to herself. “No… it’s my fault… I should never have…”
Seeing his dear friend so desperate made Cai’s blood boil.
“Cai, I’m going to cast a spell to clear a path for you to escape, so please, leave me-]” She was cut off by him.
“Don’t you even think about it. I’m staying with you,” he declared solemnly, placing his hands on her shoulders.
She looked him straight in the eyes—*his beautiful golden eyes*, she noted—and nodded.
“Thank you…”
*Her magic won’t be much help if everyone attacks us at once, and besides, she doesn’t have many spells left…*, he thought.
He felt a tingling sensation in the palm of his hand again, even stronger than before. The stone… was it reacting?
“As usual, we have to come and get you!” the bearded chief snapped as he rushed toward them.
Cai turned to face him, held his wrist, and rotated it, watching the scarlet gem in his palm light up.
“Please stay right behind me,” he emphasized.
“Cai…?”
She understood what he was planning to do.
A few days ago, the young boy had found a relic while riding an ornius. He had grabbed a mysterious chain, which suddenly gave off a dark aura, enveloping his hand. A gem had become embedded in it.
“…Okay, I’ve got your back!”
He stretched out his arm, shouting.
“I won’t let you hurt her!”
Suddenly, an emblem appeared briefly in his palm, then a ball of violet flame burst forth, destroying the ground in its path.
The Saraminian commander instinctively threw himself to the side… However, his forearm was torn off along with the scrolls.
His scream echoed across the square.
A scream that Cai would never forget.
A squad of Dagsion guards arrived on the scene. What had alerted them was Cai’s cursed magic, which had not gone unnoticed.
“No… what have I done—Ow!” He suddenly writhed in pain and lost his balance.
“Cai! Let me see!” Tialla exclaimed in alarm as she caught him before he fell. She sat him down and, without hesitation, used a healing spell. The white magic soothed the pain on the outside, but not on the inside.
*I’ve done something horrible…*, the boy thought, trembling with fear. No words could come out of his mouth. Still, he raised his head weakly to look at Tialla, hoping to show her his gratitude.
“Ahh! Your eyes!” she panicked.
“Huh…?”
“They’re red!”
After that, he couldn’t really remember what had happened. Except that he’d been knocked to the ground and dragged off to prison by the capital’s military.
He had seen Tialla leave to warn his father.
His father had begged the authorities of Dagsion on his knees to take his son’s place and serve his sentence.
He was released, but at what cost?
His father had looked at him before being taken away.
He would never forget that look. It was a mixture of distress, confusion, and… relief? No, he did not want to believe it, his father’s life was in danger because of him.
He will not let his father sacrifice himself.
“Cai? Hello?”
The young boy startles.
Oh right, he had dozed off against the wall while pretending to read… And now his dear friend, who is now a tactician, is snapping him out of his reverie in this dim library.
“Tialla? What are you doing here?” he asks, rubbing his eye slightly.
She is leaning toward him, the glow from the lantern by the window lighting up her face.
Seeing his friend here should not surprise him, though. Her presence always puts him at ease.
But this time, he’s in a terrible state. He doesn’t want his friends to see him so vulnerable—especially Tialla.
He has to find a way to leave, and fast.
“What a silly question! You know this place is like my second home!” the girl with glasses exclaims, before sitting down next to him. “It's me who should ask you that.”
Only a few centimeters separate them. The boy swallows hard, nervous about the closeness, and unconsciously shifts away.
“Um, I came to read this book…” he lies, sounding unconvincing. He shows her the cover, where “Dagdan Dictionary” is clearly written.
“Yeah, yeah, I believe you! You read one book every ten years!” she replies smugly, “Your hood looks like it’s blocking your view; you should take it off if you want to see better.”
“No, wait!” he protests, to no avail.
She pulls his hood back to reveal the part of his face that had been hidden.
“Honestly, I almost didn’t recognize you—Ah! You’re bleeding!” she exclaims in alarm, pointing to the nearly dried blood on his forehead and temples. The streaks extended all the way to his eyebrows. Immediately, Cai covers his wounds with his right hand.
“It’s nothing! I-It’s just from training—I fell on some rocks!” the boy explains, though it’s too late. She was not going to believe such a flimsy lie.
“Stop lying, Cai! Let me see right now!”
She grabs his wrist and pulls it down, revealing his forehead once more. She moves closer to him to examine the scars.
“Tialla…” His gaze never leaves hers; he silently pleads :
*No, step back…*
She pulls a handkerchief from her bag and gently presses it against the small wounds to wipe away the blood, all while reciting a healing spell.
“What exactly are these scars…” she sighs in the meantime.
*Stop, please…*
Her fingers are so gentle on his face, as if she were touching something precious.
“Don’t push yourself too hard during training, okay? You need to conserve your energy—the Games start in just one week,” she advises.
His jaw was trembling. She had to get away from him quickly, or else…
Suddenly, the image of her friend lying on the ground, dismembered and ravaged by a cursed power, flashed through her mind.
His heart leaped; he broke free from her embrace and stepped back abruptly, crying out:
“Don’t touch me! ”
Instinctively, he held out his right arm in front of him to create some distance, using his other arm for support behind him. His eyes were wide, and he was sweating profusely.
Tialla was shocked by his reaction, but she noticed something that surprised her even more.
“Your nails… there’s blood on them, too…,” she lamented softly. In the dim light, she had not noticed his condition earlier.
“…Please… don’t stay near me… I don’t know what this gem is capable of, but it could kill you!” he confessed.
Tialla’s expression was so sad that Cai immediately regretted his words.
And once again, that cursed stone was acting up, making him itch.
“But why… why are you hurting yourself… why won’t you let us help you?” she asked, her voice breaking on each syllable.
“N-no, please, don’t cry! I just want to protect you! Look, the gem’s reacting again!” He reluctantly showed her his left hand. “It’s too dangerous…”
*To hell with your cursed power!* Tialla thought, stepping toward him once more.
That’s the least of her worries, the one she loves is suffering!
“You’ve been alone all this time. Peter and I were worried about you, but you wouldn’t let us talk to you in private…,” she said, taking his fingers in hers and lowering his arm toward their knees.
The boy’s power is unpredictable, even though he’s training to use it in battle. Ignoring his will, the gem sometimes begins to glow and causes his arm to tense up. He feels he has become a walking danger, even a ticking time bomb.
For the past three weeks, his anxieties have kept him awake at night, and if he is unlucky enough to fall asleep, nightmares wake him up. Nightmares in which his father was executed, in which his cursed power consumed him and killed Tialla, Peter, and everyone he holds dear.
He had never experienced anything like this before… But how can he talk about it when he’s already asking so much of others?
All these people he is competing with in the Heroic Games are helping him regain hope and save his father.
He has already dragged his closest friends into this mess, so he avoids them whenever he can, hoping his power will not affect them and that they will not see his suffering.
“And it’s because you were afraid… That doesn’t make any sense. How could you ever hurt me?” she continues, wiping the bloodstains off her friend’s fingernails as if it were no big deal.
Cai feels like he is going to cry. She was everything to him, even though he was just a criminal. He does not deserve her patience nor her kindness…
Suddenly, Tialla’s voice breaks and she bursts into tears.
“You must feel so guilty… You keep everything bottled up inside and punish yourself… when it’s ALL my fault! Ahhh… I’m so sorry… If only I hadn’t bought that damn book!” she sobs.
He bursts into tears, too.
“I’ve already told you that’s not true! You were attacked and… I almost killed a man, even though there surely was another way… in the end, I caused my father to be imprisoned…” he cries, tears streaming down his face and falling onto his clothes.
The scarlet gem glows faintly.
“I’m the one to blame in this whole story, Tialla.”
As he says this, he lowers his head.
Seeing him like this is a rare sight for a boy who’s usually so cheerful. The girl felt almost honored that he was finally letting his guard down just for her. She wished he would never have to be alone and mope like this again…
She doesn’t know where she found the courage to intertwine her fingers with his, clutching them tightly as if she never wanted to let go.
“No… you’re the savior. My savior. And I would never believe that you’re dangerous.
You’re so kind, so caring… You’re so selfless that you sometimes forget about yourself,” she confesses.
Cai is overwhelmed with emotion. For the first time in all this time, he feels freed from his chains. In their place, he sees Tialla, no longer really knowing what to say except “thank you,” or what to do… except to tenderly take her in his arms and let himself be carried away by his feelings.
Tialla freezes for a moment, then returns his embrace. As he wept, she gently stroked the back of his head.
“Please… From now on, talk to me and let me help you carry this burden. We’ll stay together, no matter what happens, and we’ll win. Promise me that.”
Cai promises, between sobs, then thanks her from the bottom of his heart. They stay like that for several minutes. Cai pours out everything on his mind, telling her about his relentless nightmares, his regrets, his fears… She listens to him until the very end.
Then comes the time to part ways.
“Thanks again, I feel much better,” says Cai, wiping his eyes. Tialla briefly takes off her glasses to do the same. “I'm glad then!”
(Meanwhile, further down the hall, the librarian had heard the entire exchange. Feeling very embarrassed, he lets their commotion slide, since there’s no one else in the library.)
“By the way, I have something for you,” Cai remembers. He searches his pouch for a specific item and hands it to his friend.
“The book on the history of Arago… I thought I’d lost it forever! Where did you find it?” Tialla asks in surprise.
“Sorry, I kept forgetting to give it back to you… I picked it up when we got arrested that day,” he confesses.
“Ah, I see… Thank you so much…” she says hesitantly, but judging by the sincere smile on his face, he seems to have recovered from what happened, so she no longer has to worry. Now she can finally talk to him freely. “By the way, I wonder how Bobbie is doing…”
The young people had run into her about two weeks ago and had shared a nice meal with her to thank her for helping them.
She told them about her dream that had come true:
“You’re welcome! You know, Dagsion’s guards spotted me, and now I’ve become an apprentice!”
Bobbie then told them about her exploits (some of them dubious) in the Dagdanian lands, like the bandits she supposedly defeated with nothing but a banana peel, or the enormous boulder she allegedly rolled for kilometers (down a slope)…
“Same here, with the luck she has I think she’s going to become a great warrior!” he said.
“Let’s hope we don’t run into her in the arena…”
“Haha, no need to worry when we have a genius among us!” He gives her a wink.
Tialla blushes at these words; embarrassed, she hides her face behind her hands and replies shyly, “You’re exaggerating…”
*Oh no, Cai is going to suspect something if I react like this! Quick, change the subject!* she panics.
“Um, now that I think about it! We’ve been here for three weeks now! Did you know that Peter and I already knew about your birthday surprise?”
“Hmm, I had a doubt something was up… Peter was acting really suspicious.”
“He almost gave us away several times…”
“Geez, it was as obvious as if it were written on his forehead: ‘I’m hiding something!”
They both laugh.
“That’s true~ but I was discreet, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so…,” Cai replies, skeptically.
“Hey!”
She gives him a little nudge.
“Ouch! Haha… No, but seriously, I didn’t expect us to go there so soon… it was a great surprise…” Cai says, before pausing to think.
*Three weeks… Didn’t I have something planned?*
Suddenly, it hit him: “NO! MY BARBER'S APPOINTMENT! I completely forgot! WHO’S GOING TO DO MY HAIR NOW!?”
“HEY! Quiet over there!” ordered the annoyed librarian from a distance.
“Oh, sorry, sir!”
They realize they’ve been making noise this whole time… Embarrassed, they whisper, as they’re supposed to do here.
Tialla comforted Cai, who was devastated.
“It’s okay, I’m sure there are plenty of other hairdressers. Worst-case scenario, I can try it myself…”
“Nope, i’ll be fine. I’ll never forget the time you made me all those pigtails with multicolored ribbons!” he says with a bored look.
“We were ten years old! And, in my humble opinion, that hairstyle suited you very well.”
“Peter made fun of me!”
“Not at all, he wanted me to style his hair just like yours!” she corrects him.
They chat about the good old days in their little village. Not much happens there, but they’re happy in this peaceful place.
Then, Tialla spots the dictionary that Cai was “reading” earlier and picks it up. She looks up the letter “h” and shows him a word.
“Here, read this word!” she says, pointing at it.
“…This word is longer than my future!”
“Come on, read it!”
It took the poor boy more than five minutes to correctly read “Honorificabilitudinitatibus”... Tialla has tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.
He, however, isn’t amused.
“Tialla. I hate you.”
“Hehe, I love you too~”
Cai feels her heart skip a beat once again: “W-What!?”
“U-uh,” she stammers, her cheeks flushing red.
*ALERT, ALERT, that just slipped out! Strategic retreat!* the girl screams inwardly. Her confession can’t go down like this!
As a bookworm, she learns and uses a lot of new expressions. Cai and Peter sometimes end up using them too, even though they do not read.
When Cai remembers that, he sighs, “Where on earth did that come from...”
*False alert!*
“A-ah, it’s from a romance novel—”
“ROMANCE NOVEL!?” he exclaims.
*FALSE FALSE ALERT!*
“OH NO, WAIT-” she stammers before being cut off.
“HEY, KIDS, THIS IS A LIBRARY, NOT A LOVE SCENE, SO STOP YELLING!” shouts the librarian (even louder than they are…).
“Oh, sorry, sir…” Cai replies in a tiny voice.
“...”
“...”
“Um… I-it’s not what you think… well, actually, it is, it’s just that…”
She covers her face with her hands.
“I like this kind of book, too…?”
*Aahh! I’m really talking nonsense!*
Cai is confused. There’s no shame in liking that kind of book, but the fact that what she said to him came straight out of that kind of book surprised him; his heart is still racing.
“Ah… okay…” he says, trying to hide his disappointment.
Tialla, for her part, thinks she’s been found out, having unconsciously repeated something she read in a romance novel.
She hopes so much to confess her feelings to Cai once she’s mustered up all her courage.
She runs her fingers through her hair nervously.
“Hmm...”
A brief silence falls between them.
The young boy continues: “Well, um… this book isn’t going to finish itself—”
“This dictionary.”
“Same thing. Seriously, how do you manage to read so much? Not to mention the fact that you can smell a book from a hundred meters away! Are your glasses magic or something?”
“Hehe, maybe they’ve been blessed by the gods! Wanna try them on to see?”
She takes off her glasses and hands them to him. He puts them on, and his eyes settle on the book...
“Well, I can’t see anything, everything’s all blurry!” he laughs.
“Welcome to my world…”
Tialla has always had poor eyesight. Her glasses cost her family a fortune; they had to weave connections with merchants to get them.
Too bad for her, she wanted to see Cai wearing glasses.
The boy hands them back to her. He’s always been fascinated by her curiosity and intelligence.
He thinks back to when she held his hand earlier, her fingers intertwined with his. That sort of thing… Did she read about that in a book, too?
“You… are truly incredible, you know that? Thank you for staying with me.”
Tialla listens to him, surprised.
“If you weren’t here…” Cai continues, “We would never have found a tactician, we would never have been able to participate in the Games, and we would never have found allies. There would be no hope left of saving my father…”
“Tialla, I… I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Cai says.
She stares at him, her face bright red, clearly very embarrassed.
“W-what!?”
Oh no, he ruined everything! He’s going to lose one of his dearest friends! How can he fix his mistake?
He thinks through his options:
Plan A: Jump out the window and run away.
*Very bad idea.* he notes.
Plan B: Just run away.
*And leave her here all alone in this creepy place at night? Never!*
Plan C: Face the consequences of his actions.
*... I don’t want to-*
However, before he can come up with a good escape plan, his friend continues:
“Cai… What are you trying to tell me?”
He swallows hard.
“First,” she continues, hesitantly, “you don’t mind holding my hand, and then… you hug me. You’re okay with us staying together, and now… you’re telling me you wouldn’t know what to do without me?”
Suddenly, everything becomes clear: She’s ready.
After all these years of waiting, of hiding her feelings for him, she’s finally reached her limit. Her heart begins to race.
What will become of their friendship—she doesn’t care about that anymore at this moment. She hopes with all her heart that he feels the same way.
*I only have one life… I’ve already almost lost it once.*
“Actually, I love you, Cai!”
“I’m trying to say that I love you!”
“Oh!”
“Ah!”
They confessed at the same time.
A wave of relief washed over them immediately. Thank goodness!
They could not help but smile like idiots.
This time, it was Tialla who initiated the hug by throwing herself at him, laughing, “I’m so happy! Ahaha!”
Cai almost lost his balance, but he didn’t care. He was over the moon! He held her tight in his arms and wiggled with joy.
“Me too! I love you so much!”
“Really? For how long?”
“Since… forever?”
“Me too!”
“Are you SERIOUS-”
Unfortunately for them, they heard footsteps. Very, very heavy footsteps, as if an angry person were coming toward them.
The teenagers let go (reluctantly) and pick up their books again. Their shoulders touch; they look like two well-behaved children, side by side, reading peacefully.
Finally, the thudding footsteps subside and fade away in the other direction.
The crisis has been averted.
“…Tialla?” Cai whispers.
“Yes?”
“Would you… go out with me?”
“Of course,” she assures him.
The boy smiles at her words, and so does she.
All these emotions have worn him out. The cursed gem no longer reacts.
A dream has come true tonight. With her by his side, he can face anyone.
He rests his head on the shoulder of his friend-no, his girlfriend, while she continues her reading. She reads aloud in a soft voice, as if to lull him to sleep.
He closes his eyes and listens to the sound of her voice.
After a while, he briefly feels a little warmth on his head.
For the first time in weeks, he can finally sleep in peace.
The sun is rising over Dagda. Birds are singing from the tower’s windows. Beneath one of them, a weary librarian spots two teenagers, asleep against each other,
“Pff… these rascals.”