Audel Emporio
At least three days had passed inside the cave, though I couldn't be sure how much time had elapsed in the outside world. I'd been fighting nonstop, with no breaks, while Lady Dareia observed from a distance. Every time I broke a bone, old man Agrievious would simply tell his grandson, Benon, to repair it. While the constant injuries took a mental toll, I tried to empty my mind completely, as the old man had instructed.
But forgetting everything else wasn't easy. My family was in danger, my city surrounded by enemies, and several Diviners were watching my every move. Despite the relentless training, my thoughts kept drifting to the chaos outside.
"This calls for a break," the old man said, his runic sword disappearing as he hunched over like the elderly man he appeared to be. I noticed Maria standing with Lady Dareia, her presence a welcome distraction.
"Who is she?" Benon whispered as he finished repairing my latest injury.
"Lord Vestiron's daughter—" I started, but he cut me off.
"Damn, she's a cutie. Is she your girlfriend?"
"Ah hell na," I replied quickly. "She's just an old friend."
"I see," he said, nodding. "Don't mind if I ask her out."
"Good luck with that," I shrugged, uninterested in his teenage dreams. "Don't go crying if you get rejected. She's an expert at making boys cry, you know."
"We'll see," he said confidently, walking over to Maria.
Old man Agrievious chuckled beside me. "Don't mind him. Even though he's lived for half a century, he still has the mental age of a teenage boy."
I glanced at Benon, his youthful appearance deceiving. How could someone who looked so young be in his fifties?
"Then how old does that make you, old man?" I asked.
He slapped my shoulder and laughed. "Boy, you shouldn't ask an old man his age."
"What are you, a lady?" I shot back, chuckling.
I watched as Benon walked away from Maria, his shoulders slumped in disappointment. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. My amusement was short-lived, though, as Maria waved me over.
"I'll go relieve some of my stress," the old man said, giving me a teasing wink before walking away. Creepy, I thought.
I approached Maria, noticing how tired she looked. It wasn't surprising—she'd been working tirelessly since arriving here. Being the daughter of the unit leader was no easy task, and I was sure she'd been following her father everywhere.
"Let's... go for a walk, shall we?" I suggested. She nodded, and I took that as affirmation. Lady Dareia gave me the same teasing wink as her husband, which honestly annoyed me.
Maria and I walked through the cave system in silence. She seemed unusually quiet, and I wasn't sure how to break the ice. But as someone who'd lived a whole life before, I felt it was my responsibility to initiate the conversation.
"So," I began, causing her to jolt slightly. "Maria, how are you feeling now?"
"I—I'm fine, I guess?" she replied awkwardly.
The silence returned, and we eventually reached the cave's exit.
"Audel," she said suddenly, breaking the quiet. "Do you have any idea why my father let Kreg be taken away?"
"I've got some idea from old man Agrievious," I admitted. "Do you know what our next move is?"
"From what I can guess," she said, her chin resting on her right hand, "we won't be going back to the city before the tournament. It's in two days, remember?"
I nodded. "I see."
My eyes caught sight of her calloused hands. "Jeez, have you been overworking yourself?"
She quickly hid her hands. "Says who, bucklehead? You don't get to say that to me!"
With that, she started running toward the forest, waving for me to follow. "Come with me, Audel!"
"Who the hell says 'bucklehead' in this age?" I chuckled, running after her.
We ran through the dense forest, far beyond the camp's sight. I was starting to worry about her recklessness.
"Lord Vestiron will kill me if he finds out I ran off with his daughter," I teased as we ran.
She shot back immediately, "Oh, don't worry about that. Benon's already a better candidate than you."
The first arrow hit its mark.
She added, "At least he knows how to properly address a young lady."
The second arrow.
"And he's quite the looker, too. I think anyone would fall for him."
The third arrow.
"Well, have you?" I asked.
She came to an abrupt halt, and I realized we were standing at the edge of a cliff. Below us stretched the ocean, its golden beach shimmering under the sunlight. The view was breathtaking, and I stood in awe.
"No," she said softly, pulling me back to reality. "I know this isn't the time to say this, but..."
I turned to her, giving her my full attention. She fidgeted nervously under my gaze.
"I'm too weak for this world, Audel. I'm too tired of all of this—the conspiracies, the unnecessary fights."
I tried to comfort her. "It's fine—"
"No," she interrupted. "It's not fine. It's not fine to be weak, to be powerless. Every moment, I feel like I'm slipping away from you all. Maybe it's because I'm too incompetent to be her daughter."
Her voice wavered. "I'm not an ideal daughter, Audel. I never will be. And—" She clenched her fists. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. Maybe because you've been there with me from the beginning. We grew up like siblings. Audel, I'm honestly too tired for all of this."
I took a deep breath. "Good. It's natural to be tired when you're in such a position. Otherwise, I'd be worried."
I continued, "But you won't get anywhere if you try to mold yourself into some perfect image. It's like a blind man sculpting himself."
"You—you're bad at making examples," she chuckled, tears streaming down her face.
"You know what? Forget it! Just shout the hell out of your lungs here. No one will judge you."
"Not even you?" she asked.
"Not even me. Or maybe, I don't know."
She wiped her tears and stepped to the edge of the cliff. After a moment's hesitation, she shouted, "This world is a cesspool!"
She turned back to me, and I teased, "Who says 'cesspool' in this age, haha!"
Pouting, she challenged me, "How about you go scream something meaningful, you old perv?"
Old perv—what? I walked to the cliffside and inhaled deeply.
"I WILL KILL YOU, KREG! YOU SON OF A BITCH. COME FACE ME!"
I walked back to her, and she laughed, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Woah! Was that a threat? Haha!"
It was nice to see her as her usual self—joyous and silly. I couldn't help but smile, a genuine smile that even surprised me.
Maria leaned in, her hands still on my shoulders, and kissed my cheek. The gesture caught me off guard, and I stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.
She quickly pulled away, her face flushed. "D-Don't get the wrong idea, Audel. I was just trying to relieve your stress."
I laughed, breaking the tension. "What's so funny?" she pouted.
"A half-baked confession like that won't work on me," I smirked, turning my back on her.