Waking up, Al saw himself was in a small room. Getting up, he looked around and saw a table. On it, there were many cups placed, seemed like someone prepared them for him. Feeling thirsty, he picked up and drank them one by one. After that, he realized there was a wooden stair inside the room. He thought he was inside a basement underground. He moved his body but the pain stopped him. He looked at his body just to see the whole body was bandaged. The bandage was fresh. Then, he heard something moved above him, and the door was opened. Climbing down, it was a Suin who was old and had a scar on his right eyes. His body was big as twice as Al's.
"Oh, you awoke," the old Suin spoke relievedly.
"Chief," Al realized who he was.
"How do you feel?" the chief asked.
"Hurt, but I'll be better. Where am I?" Al asked.
"Under my house," the chief looked at the table and saw the mess Al made. Then he filled water in the cups. – "Here, I brought more water."
"Thanks," Al said. "How long have I been here?"
"A month," the chief responded.
"Wait, what?" – Al was totally surprised.
"A villager found you unconscious near the river and brought you to my home. A few hours later, a group of soldiers and sorcerers came and looked for you. They weren't nice enough so no one said anything. They said that you killed a person while escaping. They also threaten if we tried to hide you but no one cared," the chief explained. – "What about you? What did you do?"
"Unsubordinated, I guess?" Al said.
"Whatever it is, you were lucky. No longer after your disappearance, a war happened in the city. Everyone was caught in the war with an Unknown and some… human beings. Even Ritania sent their troops here," the chief told and saw Al was shocked. He could not blame him. He continued. "After the war, the city was rebuilding. But surprisingly, the Elders of Constella was disbanded and charged with some crimes. Then, a High Priestess was voted to become the leader of the city. She looks young to take that responsibility."
"She'll be doing fine," after calming down, he started thinking. Only one High Priestess he knew was capable of taking that position. But it was also meant the distance between him and her was further.
"You know her?" the chief asked.
"Sort of," he answered. Suddenly, he felt something weird and touched his head. "What the heck…"
"Oh right, it was a surprise when I saw it too," the old Suin looked at his surprised face. "I have never thought you are a Suin. And they are not dog's ears, but cats' ones."
"Hold on. Why did I become this?" Al could not explain the phenomenon. He had never thought he was a Suin.
"What do you mean?" the chief did not understand what he meant.
"I mean… I am a human, but…" – Al struggled.
"I always think so. I checked but I didn't feel like you were being cursed or anything like that. Rather than that, I think you are originally a Suin," the chief remembered something and told him. "A couple of days ago, you suddenly transformed into a Suin. At first, I thought it was a spell. I investigated you and the result was the opposite. Meaning you were been cast magic that hid your real identity."
"I just… I don't know… It all happened so suddenly," Al did not know how he should react to this. But if he was a Suin, then he knew he could no longer stay in Constella.
"If I remember right, your parents have never mentioned anything about your birth. We also thought you were their blood son," the chief thought carefully and suggested. "Maybe if we search your home, we might find a clue. But without your permission, I haven't done it yet."
"Then let's go," Al forced himself up. He needed to find out the answer. Seeing how determined he was, the chief did not hesitate to help him.
It was nightfall and the village was sleeping. This village stayed far from the main city of Constella. In the middle of the village, a simply designed house was placed. Around the house were other houses of the villagers. When both Al and the Suin chief stepped inside the house, they saw one living room, and two doors led to bedrooms. The left room was Al's room, while the others were his parents' room. They agreed to search for his parents' bedroom first. They opened the door and Al felt warm. He did not remember how many times he entered this room when he was a young boy. They searched the bed, the floor, and cloth wardrobe, and had nothing. When the Suin investigated the walls, he felt strange and suspicious. Then he used his hands and surfed the surface until he touched a small slit which was hard to see without searching carefully. He used his strength and successfully opened a small cabinet. He then called Al and they all looked inside. Inside the cabinet, they saw two notes. They opened and read and realized they were diaries belonged to Al's parents. They skimmed the diaries before the chief saw a page.
"December 24th, me and my husband were taking a walk near the forest. Suddenly, we heard something, like a cry, a baby's cry. We felt worried if someone left their child in the forest and decided to investigate. It did not take long to find the source of the crying. We were shocked to see a newborn baby crying helplessly and lonely in the middle of the cold forest. We felt angry at those who left him to die but then we thought it might have a reason behind. Regardless, we could not let this baby here, so we took him in. However, on the way back, we found out he was a Suin. It was prohibited the Suin race or non-human beings to enter the so-called holy city. But it did not stop us taking care of him."
"The baby was left hungry and he also had a high fever when we found him. We could not take sleep as long as his health was in a bad state. Poor baby. He was in pain and we were helpless to ease him. Fortunately, after a few days, he slept and ate well. We were so happy to see him sleep peacefully. He looked so cute and innocent, especially his ears and tail. We could sit for hours to play with them."
"The hardest part was to hide his identity. We did not care what happened to us but if anyone knew his appearance, he would be killed. After a long discussion, we decided to use a transformed potion to make him become a normal human, and we raised him. I had never seen my husband this brightness when he was taking care of him. We could not have children, and then Al, our son, stepped into our life. It was like the stars listened to our wish, and gave him to us. However, the transformed potion had a limited time effect. Al had to drink one potion every month. If we are careful, no one could ever discover his real identity and we did not intend to be that careless. We will do what we can to protect him, even if we have to lie to everyone."
It was bittersweet for Al to take and the Suin chief decided to let him have his time. He looked sad but also proud. The chief kept reading the diary and he found the moment when they took his village in. Back at that time, the Suin people were seeking for a refugee. They scattered all over the Orbis. Al's parents decided to help despite being expelled from the city. Knowing what they did for them, the chief and his people were appreciated to them. The diary also said that one day, the Suin village would become a part of Constella, as Al's parents believed every life was equal. However, they struggled to persuade the people of Constella since they hated every non-human being. But they also had hope that one day, Constella would accept and welcome them. If possible, they wished that Al would become the bridge that connected two races. The last page of the diaries took placed around 7 months ago. Then the chief realized it was the time Al's parents disappeared. Without saying, the whole village helped Al to find his parents without any payback, but the result was nothing.
"I think… I will leave for a while." – After a long time of thinking carefully, Al said to the chief village.
"May I ask why," the chief asked.
"Staying here won't do anything good, if not worse. As you know, Constella prohibits those who are not the human race. To let you stay here, my parents accepted to be expelled from the city and live here with you. Even though they can keep their ranks, it still leaves a bad reputation on them. Now, if they find out they have raised and kept a Suin inside the city for so long, they will get the death sentence without a trial. And in the worst-case scenario, you and everyone else will be expelled. I cannot let it happen. That's why I decided to leave the city, let things worn out," Al explained
"What makes you think they will accept us?" understanding his intention, the chief asked.
"If the High Priestess I know is in charge of the city, sooner or later, she will be able to persuade the people to accept and welcome you in. You won't have to be seen as an outcast or a disease anymore, but a citizen of Constella. It will take time, but things will change in a good way," Ai explained.
"If you believe in her that much, then we will hope for the best. We also wish the best for you and your parents," the chief said faithfully.
Later, Al returned to his room. He opened a secret door under the floor before he pulled out a chest full of equipment. He changed his clothes to a black one, reloaded his gun, carried a rifle with scope and loaded clips on his belt. When he got out of the house, the Suin chief was waiting for him. He said goodbye to him. For Al, he had things he wanted to do before he left Constella.
When he sneaked into the city, he saw broken walls and houses everywhere. The citizens were inside temporary tents while guards were keeping order and patrolling the city. Al predicted it would take a few times before the city was rebuilding completely, but it would be even longer for the change of the heart of the citizens. Out of his expectation, he saw a familiar face which made him happy. A young girl who had long silver hair was patrolling along with the guards. Wherever she went, everyone was happy and relieved, as she spoke with them. Suddenly, she felt off and he rushed to her, then he stopped. A young man who had short purple hair and wore green clothes appeared and caught her. After that, they had a joyful chat and she seemed to be happy around him. At that moment, he realized he had no place in this city anymore. It was over.
In a large room, Elena's mother was working with the help of Elena's father. On the table where she sat in front of, it was a huge mess with many papers on it. Some empty cups were on there as well. Behind her, Elena's father brought some more teacups to her.
"You still working?" Elena's father asked gently while giving her a teacup.
"Just a little more, there is so much paperwork needed to be done. However, I can get off the feeling that I forgot something. I hope those papers will jog it out. On the other side, I can't believe the Elders killed so many people out of our sights," Elena's mother answered.
"That could be the answer to some strangely disappeared citizens," Elena's father added.
"And we thought they were lost…" suddenly, Elena's mother realized something. "For the star's sake, how could I forget Al? We need to send out a party to find him."
"No need for that," Al entered the room and surprised the two of them.
"Oh goodness, you are still safe." Elena's mother hugged Al. "I'm so sorry, so many things happened and I…"
"It's okay, I understand. I'm glad that you all are safe too," Al released her.
"But how can you enter here under the patrol?" Elena's mother asked before she looked at his cat's ears. "And what are they?"
"I just found out that I'm a Suin disguised as a human being," he responded.
"So you know it," Elena's father stayed calm as he knew this day would come. "We are sorry to hide it from you."
"It's for my sake, I know," Al said.
"Wait, hold on… a sec. Can you two explain to me what is going on here?" Elena's mother was lost during the conversation.
"May I?" Elena's father looked for Al's permission, and he nodded. "Al's parents could never have a child. And one day, they found Al nearly dead in a forest. Despite the strict law of Constella, they risked everything to keep, protect and raise him. Only his parents and I know the truth. Each month, Al needed to take a transformed potion that disguised him as a human. We lied that he got a permanent disease and he had to take the potion every month."
"As long as I stay here, everyone will know the truth and it can lead to many problems, so I decided to leave," Al added.
"Hold on, why?" Elena's mother asked.
"You know that Constella doesn't allow the non-human race to live inside the city, right? If they find out that his parents lied and hid a Suin inside the city for many years, they will be given a death sentence. But I guess they already got that," Elena's father explained.
"What do you mean?" both Elena's mother and Al were surprised.
"I recognized one of many victims of the Elders were Al's parents. From what I investigated, they accepted the death sentence as long as the Elders and the Constellans left Al and the Suin villages alone. I didn't think it was the right time to tell you and I had no idea where Al was, so I intended to keep this secret as long as possible," Elena's father said
"It's just… insane. How could they do that?" Elena's mother could not speak out anything while Al remained silent.
"Because the last thing we need is another bloodshed. For centuries and centuries, the Constellans have slaughtered thousands or millions of beings who are not human beings. Don't be fooled by the fantasy propaganda the Elders give you. To them, non-human races are nothing but worthless trash that is needed to be eradicated from this world. They raised so many "holy wars" in the past, lying from generation to generation, for their own garbage ego. Knowing this dark history, Al's parents decided to change the Constellan's mind, to let them know that the human race is not the only ones deserve a better future. It is what they are fighting for until the end of their lives. I shared their visions and supported them as I could while playing as a loyal dog of the Elders. However, even when the Elders were taken down, it will need a long time for the Constellans to change," Elena's father let out his disappointment.
"Can you please keep this secret from Elena, including my disappearance? But it will be better if she knows that I was dead," Al then asked for a favor.
"We don't have to do that. I'm sure the citizens will change and you don't have to leave this city," Elena's mother persuaded Al.
"You cannot change things that have been rooted for hundreds of years. We can only do it slowly, and I'm not even sure if they will change or not. But I will fight for a better future. We can do it as long as we don't lose our faith. But right now, I understand why Al has to leave. We have to let him go, it is for Elena's sake, too. She is now the symbol of this city and if they find out that she is closed to a Suin, an insect living in the city for many years…" after Elena's father speaking, the three of them remained silent. Then Elena's father looked at Al asked. "Did you find Elena?"
"Yes, along with someone friendly," Al was even sadder.
"Oh…" – Elena's father realized what happened.
"I'm sure she will be happy. Thank you for everything." Al said and decided to leave.
"Wait…" Elena's mother tried to stop him.
"Sir, Madam, I'm sorry but you have to come out here. It's an emergency," suddenly, a sorcerer stormed in and interrupted them.
"What happened?" staying calm, Elena's father asked.
"We spotted an army outside of our city. From what we saw, it must be the remnants of the Elders. They are seeking revenge for them," the soldier answered.
"Al, can you…" Elena's mother looked at where he was standing, but he left without letting anyone knew.
"Madam?" the sorcerer asked.
"Nothing. We have to prepare a defense line. Alarm everyone, now," Elena's father told the soldier.
As Elena's father commanded, the city was woken up. All sorcerers and soldiers were appointed on the city wall. Elena and her friend were coming with them. From afar, they could see the enemy was ready to attack. Holding the line, everyone was prepared for a clash. Suddenly, the attackers acted strangely, they started being confused and looked out for something. Elena's father took a binocular. He then saw some men on the horses and ground were fallen down. Later, it looked like they were being killed from a far distance. He only knew one type of weapon which was capable to do that. But it would need good marksmanship. He looked around but he could not find anyone. However, seeing the opportunity, Elena's father decided to attack rather defending. It did not take long to finish the battle with the surrender of the attackers.