Episode 05: Legacy of the Past
Why am I so weak? I mean, what kind of warrior can't even control his own battle spirit? Saffron can control hers, and we've trained together for as long as I can even remember. Hell, we've known each other pretty much since we were born…
I wonder… does the problem lie with the wolf, or with me?
"In my hometown, we rely on a form of magic, much like the ones used here," Saffron began. "But there's a crucial difference in our form of magic, and that is the fact that we harness the power of animals instead of elemental power."
Garet remembered the story that Kraden had told earlier that day. "So the legends are true then… Antiga really does exist," he said.
Saffron nodded. "It exists, for the time being. But our village is dying, as it has been for the past few generations."
"What do you mean?" Garet asked.
"To fully understand our situation, you have to understand where our power originates from," Saffron said. "You see, the animals that reside in our village are not the same wild animals that roam the wilderness. They…"
"…had their own special powers," Garet said, finishing her sentence.
Saffron looked surprised. "That's right," she said. "But tell me, how do you know so much about our village?"
"To tell the truth, I didn't really until today," Garet replied. "We have a good friend who's a scholar, so when we found that tablet that you were after we brought it to him for examination. When he figured out what those pictures on the tablets were, he told us about the legend of Antiga."
"I see, so we are still remembered among some people," Saffron said. "Strange, I always thought that we had faded from the memories of the outside world long ago."
"We still don't know that much, since we haven't found anything that proves your village even exists," Garet said. "Why is that?"
"That one fateful day, when the power of the four elements were sealed away," Saffron replied. "That was the day we lost most of our companions, as well as our majestic kingdom."
"The legend just says that when Alchemy was sealed, your beasts lost their powers," Garet said.
"You're half-right," Saffron replied. "The truth is, our entire city burned down to nothing but ashes that day."
"What?" Garet exclaimed. "A whole city? How big was it?"
"You've been to Lemuria before, have you not?" Saffron asked.
"Yeah, I have. What about it?" Garet replied.
"It was about that size, maybe a bit bigger," Saffron said. "Now it is nothing more than a simple village, no bigger than what you have here."
"Whoa…" Garet said in awe. "That must have been some fire.
Saffron nodded. "Our animal friends helped the townspeople escape, even at the cost of their own lives. We lost pretty much all of our beasts in that dreadful fire."
"Your story is getting more mysterious by the second," Garet said as he tried to take in all that she was telling him.
"Maybe I should tell you exactly how Van and I acquired our powers to begin with," Saffron said. "We were only children at the time, but I still remember it clearly…"
The day that I found the wolf… that was probably the day that changed my destiny. That was the day the elements of earth, fire, wind, and water were sealed off by an outside force, causing the great fire that destroyed our great city, as well as many of our faithful companions. The wolf was different from any other beast though, I could sense it the minute I looked into its eyes.
I guess you could say the wolf found me instead. After all, the Elder does say that it's the beast that chooses the master, and not the other way around.
"Van, what's going on?" Saffron asked as she ran outside. Her small figure was sweating heavily as the heat was intensifying very rapidly.
"I don't know, it doesn't look good though," Van replied as he looked around at the horrific scene before him. The fire that had started at the walls of the city was now consuming the entire kingdom in one enormous inferno.
"Everybody, we have to evacuate the city!" the two heard one of the Elder's guards shout. Soldiers were now streaming through the lines of houses, assisting their inhabitants with the unexpected evacuation.
"I'm not going!" Van heard a voice cry from inside his house.
"Van, that's your mom!" Saffron began.
"Quick, you go check on your family," Van said. "I'll go and help my mother."
Saffron nodded. "Be careful, Van!" she called as she ran back to her own house.
Van threw open the door to his house. "Mom! Mom, where are you?" he shouted as he searched every room for his mother.
"Ma'am, we have to get going now!" he heard another voice say from outside, in the backyard. "There's no time left, this whole village could go up in flames any second!"
Van ran out the back door of his house to the yard. There he saw his mother standing in the middle of the yard, clutching an urn tightly in her arms. A soldier was also there, trying to reason with her to leave it behind.
"I'm not going," his mother said, not moving an inch. "There's too much to leave behind."
"Mom, let's go! We have to leave before it's too late!" Van said as he ran up to his mother. "Come on, mom!"
Van's mother turned and saw her son pulling at her arm. "Van… you've grown up so much," she said. "I'm sorry I won't be able to watch over you anymore."
"What do you mean?" Van asked.
His mother turned to the soldier again. "Do this old woman one last favor," she said. "Get my son safely out of the village."
The soldier, who appeared to be a young man no older than twenty, saw that arguing with her was pointless, so he nodded. "Don't worry ma'am, I'll make sure this boy leaves here alive."
Van's mother smiled. "I thank you," she said. "Now Van, go with the man. Leave the village while you still can."
Van shook his head as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Mom, I'm not leaving without you!" he cried.
"You must," his mother said as she hugged him. "Leon has already grown into a fine young man, and he is helping to save the lives of more villagers just like us right now. He will take care of you from now on."
"Come on, sport, let's go," the soldier said as he picked Van up and began to leave. "Your mother's made her decision, we can't stop her now."
"No! Put me down!" Van yelled as he flailed his arms and legs wildly. "I have to go back and save her!"
"Goodbye, Van…" his mother said as she watched him go. "I love you."
"I know it's hard… but this is how it was meant to be," the soldier said sadly as he headed for the exit of the village. Van watched helplessly as his mother's image grew smaller and smaller, fading away into the orange flames that had now engulfed the village.
Van saw the exit of the village ahead of them. He knew that if he was going to go back, he only had one more chance to do it. Grabbing the arm that held him, he slipped out from underneath the soldier's grip. As he landed on the ground below, Van broke into a dash and began running back towards his house. "Mom!" he shouted. "I'm coming for you!"
"Hey! Hey kid, come back!" the soldier cried as he ran after him. He had made a promise to keep that boy alive, and he would keep it, no matter what.
Saffron had been waiting at the edge of town for Van, and she had seen him, if only for a second. She had seen him slip away from the soldier that was holding him, and she had seen him run back into the burning town.
"Van!" she cried. "Hold on, I'm coming to help you!" she said as she ran into the inferno in pursuit of her friend.
Saffron's mother and father saw their daughter run back inside, but it was too late now. "Oh no, Saffron!" her mother cried. "Saffron, come back!"
Saffron paid her no heed, as she ran straight into the flaming city following her friend. "I don't know what you're doing, Van, but I'll be there to help," she thought.
My mother's always been a hard person to figure out. She kept to herself a lot, and she never really told people more than they needed to know. There were probably a whole bunch of secrets that she kept from me, her own son.
I don't know what I was thinking when I ran back into that burning city, or what I was hoping to accomplish. Maybe I was just trying to defy destiny, or maybe I just couldn't accept what destiny was.
Van ran through the still-growing inferno around him as he headed back towards his house. All around him he saw the dead bodies of animals, the very same beasts that had been the townsfolk's best friends. Their corpses were covered with burns, and a lot of them were being turned to ash before his very eyes.
"I've got to save her, I just have to," Van thought as his eyes began to water from all the smoke. "Hold on, mom… I'm coming."
But just then, he caught something moving from the corner of his eye from the midst of the flames. Van stopped running as soon as he saw it. "What the… something's still alive there!" he said as he ran to check it out.
It was a wolf, alive but surrounded by fire on all sides. Its white fur was singed with a few burns, and one of its legs appeared to be injured. It darted back and forth, trying to find an escape route that wasn't there.
"Hold on!" Van said as he picked up a nearby plank that was lying on the ground and threw it one section of the fire. "Hey, are you all right?" he said as he ran over to the injured wolf.
The wolf whimpered in response and raised one paw, as if it was giving its thanks to Van. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," Van said. "Somehow…"
Suddenly, the wolf let out a loud howl as it began to glow with a silver aura. "What the… hey, what are you doing?" Van said with a very surprised voice.
The wolf glowed for a few seconds, and then its aura completely enveloped its physical body, taking the shape of a sphere of light. The ball of light zoomed into Van's body, and the integration was complete.
Van was immediately overcome by the mixture of raw power and emotion that now coursed through his body. He felt like he was no longer in control of it, but it didn't matter because he knew that someone else was.
The wolf's instincts sensed the growing fire around it, and it knew that escape was the only thing to do. With a flash, Van was running again, this time at almost three times the speed that he was running at before. In about twenty seconds, he had traversed the entire distance that he had run before integrating with the wolf.
Near the edge of town, Van saw Saffron and the soldier from before. Saffron was unconscious, and the soldier was holding her body in his arms as he began to head for the city borders again.
"Hey, you made it!" the soldier said with great relief as he saw Van dashing up to him. "Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"
Van shook his head. As he saw Saffron's body, he motioned for the soldier to let him hold her.
"What? But you're not strong enough to hold her and run at the same time," the soldier said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Van howled with a ferocity that definitely wasn't human. "What the…? What's gotten into him?" the soldier thought as he stared into the eyes of the black-haired boy. "Could it be? Did he integrate with a wild beast?"
The soldier decided to chance it, so he put Saffron onto Van's back without further argument. Van tightened his grip around her legs, and then he motioned for the soldier to run with him.
"Okay, let's go," the soldier agreed.
With that, the two sped out of the burning city, damaged but alive. The soldier cast one last look at his former home before turning around, never again looking behind him.
Van's speed and strength was superhuman, and it appeared that Saffron wasn't weighing him down at all. The soldier was struggling to keep up with him, but eventually both of them reached the city borders, where the walls were containing the fire from spreading any further outside. The citizens of Antiga were all gathered outside, and they were all quite surprised and relieved at the same time as two more people came dashing out from the inferno within the walls.
"Oh goodness! Saffron!" a female voice cried as Van finally slowed to a stop, having escaped the danger. "Van, you saved her!"
Van looked up and saw Saffron's family running towards him. He gently let Saffron off his back, and then he handed her to her father. "Van, you saved her…" her mother said again, quite relieved. "What about you, are you all right?"
Van was about to nod his head, but it was then that the last of his strength gave out, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious. His body was caught by the soldier who had escaped with them.
"Ma'am," the soldier said with a smile. "You've got quite an energetic daughter."
I came to a while later, in the tent that belonged to Saffron's family. They were all quite relieved to see that I was all right, especially Saffron. I don't think I've ever seen her so happy and angry at the same time, it was really quite a sight.
The strange thing was, I didn't remember anything about how I escaped the burning city. The last thing I remember was the wolf's spirit spreading through my veins, altering my whole being forever…
"Van, please stay in bed," Saffron pleaded. "You're not well enough to be up and around yet."
"Well or not, I've got something I have to do," Van said as he got to his feet and began to walk out of the tent, limping noticeably on his right leg.
"At least let me help you, then," Saffron said as she walked beside him and slung his right arm around the back of neck and over her shoulder. "I don't think you'll be going too far in your current condition."
"Thanks," Van said gratefully. "Come on, I want to find that soldier that helped us escape from the city."
Saffron thought back for a moment. "Oh yeah… I remember the falcon joining with me, then I saw a soldier's face, but then I blacked out…"
"How is that bird doing, anyway?" Van asked.
"Pretty good," Saffron replied. "The first-time integration wore it out for a couple of days, but it's doing pretty good now."
"You think your mom will let you keep him?" Van asked with a smile.
"If you're allowed to keep that wolf, then I should be allowed to keep the falcon," Saffron said. "Besides, it seems quite attached to me now."
"Van!" someone called out from behind the pair.
Van and Saffron turned around to see his brother Leon walking up behind them. "Why are you walking around outside, little brother? You should be resting in the tent."
"Leon, do you know where I can find that soldier that helped Saffron and I get out of the city the other day?" Van asked. "I still haven't given the guy my thanks yet."
Leon thought for a moment. "Hmm, I think his tent is number ninety-two," he said. "It's just a short walk in that direction," he added, pointing over towards a line of tents in another direction.
"Okay, thanks Leon," Van said as he began to walk in that direction. "Come on, let's go find tent ninety-two," he told Saffron.
Saffron nodded. "Okay," she agreed.
"You need a hand, little brother? You look like you could use one," Leon said with a smile.
Van shook his head. "You're probably a busy guy, seeing how you're a captain and all. Besides, I've got Saffron to help me right now."
"Okay then," Leon said. "But be careful, okay Van? I don't want you to hurt yourself while your body is still healing."
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Van said as he walked away. "You really think I'm that weak right now?"
"Perhaps," Leon thought to himself as he watched his brother go. "But what troubles me is whether or not you know for yourself…"
The wolf had been injured in the fire, and the Elder had offered to take it under his care, but I refused. Why, I still don't know. I guess that like Saffron, I felt a special attachment to the beast that had been my first integration partner. Whatever the reason was, I just knew that I had to be the one to nurse that wolf back to health.
Ever since the wolf had recovered from its wounds, it's become like another member of the family. Maybe I saw it as a replacement for the brother that I once had, or even for the father that I never had. Maybe it didn't even go as deep as that, for all I know. The one thing that I do know is that the wolf and myself are bonded together, and we are inseparable.
With joined spirits comes great power, but it also brings great danger…
"Here it is," Van said happily. "Tent ninety-two."
"We made it," Saffron said with a smile.
"Come on, let's go see if he's inside," Van said as he walked up to the tent and slowly pulled the front curtain open.
The inside of the tent was certainly nothing special. A bed, a desk, and a couple of chairs, that was pretty much all that could be found inside. A man was lying on the bed right now, with a few bandages here and there but generally looking to be in good health. "Um… excuse me," Van said from the entrance of the tent.
The man looked up from his bed, and he smiled warmly as he saw who it was. "Well, if it ain't my two old friends," he said. "Come on in, there's plenty of room in here for you."
Van opened the rest of the curtain and stepped into the tent slowly, with Saffron behind him. "Make yourselves at home, though I know that's not too much right now," the soldier said as he sat up. "So what brings you two down here?" he asked.
"We just wanted to see how you were doing," Saffron said. "You risked your own lives to save us from that fire, so it's only proper that we come to visit you."
The soldier laughed out loud. "Just doing my job, little lady. And keeping a promise as well," he added, flashing a look towards Van.
"Hey, listen… I'm sorry that I caused you so much trouble by running back into the fire like that," Van said. "If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't need those bandages right now."
The soldier gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you had your reasons," he said. "Besides, you would never have rescued that injured wolf if you hadn't gone back in."
"Hey, you know what? We still don't know your name, even after all you've done for us," Saffron said.
"You can call me Legion," the soldier replied.
"That's a strange name…" Van mused. "Did your parents really name you that?"
Legion nodded. "The day I was born, my destiny had already been decided for me. My parents knew that I was going to be a soldier, so they named me Legion, for we are many."
"That's pretty neat," Saffron said. "By the way, I'm Saffron. It's nice to meet you."
"And I'm…" Van began.
"The commander's kid brother," Legion finished. "Yeah, it wasn't until he paid me a visit himself before I figured out who you were."
"Leon, I mean… my brother came to see you?" Van asked.
Legion nodded. "I was just as surprised as you were. He just dropped by to say thanks for watching out for his little brother, which would be you."
Van breathed a sigh of relief. Whenever Leon had to go see a lower-ranked soldier personally, it normally meant that some sort of disciplinary action was about to be taken for a previous misdemeanor. He was rarely known to visit soldiers out of good will.
"You should feel privileged, Van," Legion continued. "You know, you could be a captain one day, just like your brother."
"I… I don't want to be a captain, or have anything to do with that sort of thing," Van said as he turned away. "I never have, and I never will."
Legion smiled again. "So you don't, do you? I could kind of tell, you're much too gentle to be a good officer, anyway."
Van didn't respond. He was still imagining what would happen to him if he was ever forced to join the Elder's military, just as Leon was. "It doesn't matter what I'm like," he said finally. "I'll be forced to join, just like my brother."
"Van…" Saffron began as she put a hand on his shoulder.
"You know… you don't have to do something that you don't want to do," Legion said as he opened the back curtain of the tent to let in some sunlight. "Destiny can be changed, but only if you are the one who decides to change it."
Van looked up at him. "What are you saying?" he asked.
"Kid, don't make the same mistake that I did," Legion said. "All my life, I've let other people push me around and dictate what I am. That's how I ended up like this, a soldier sleeping alone in a tent recovering from battle wounds."
"But Legion… you can still change your destiny, can't you?" Saffron asked.
Legion shook his head. "I can't, not anymore. My life isn't even in my own hands now. If the Elder gives orders, we soldiers are expected to obey, even if it means death."
He faced both of them again. "You're both still young, Van and Saffron. You have your whole lives ahead of you. Don't let it all go to waste."
Van and Saffron both nodded. "Legion… thank you," Saffron said as she began to cry.
"Hey there, don't cry, little lady," Legion said as he wiped away her tears with his bandaged hand. "You have to keep a strong appearance, especially in front of your boyfriend," he added with a grin.
"He's not my boyfriend!" Saffron said as she took a playful swing at him.
"Hey, Legion…" Van began.
"Yeah? What is it?" Legion said.
"We can still… you know, see you and hang out here, right? Or at least until you have to leave on another mission," Van said.
Legion smiled once again. "You two are welcome here anytime. I could use the company anyway," he said.
Van smiled back. "Thanks. We'll come to visit again soon," he said.
"Sure, just watch that leg of yours. It doesn't look like it's completely healthy yet," Legion said, motioning towards Van's right leg.
"I will," Van replied. "Come on, Saffron. Let's get going before your parents start wondering where we are."
Saffron nodded. "See you later, Legion!" she said as she left the tent.
"Hey, Van," Legion called just as Van was leaving as well.
"Yeah?" Van said as he stopped and turned around.
"I'm sorry, about your mother…" Legion said. "I know it's hard now, but time will heal the pain."
"It's okay," Van said as he turned back around. "This is what she wanted, and I know that she's in a better place now."
Legion nodded. "That's the spirit. Keep your head high, always. Don't forget that."
"I won't," Van said as he smiled once more. "See you soon, Legion," he said as he left the tent to follow Saffron.
"Follow your dreams, Van," Legion thought to himself as he laid back down on his bed. "You can be anything that you want, as long as you believe that you can."
From that day forward, Legion became one of my best friends, as well as my mentor. He taught me many battle techniques while his body was still recovering, and he also explained the entire integration process to me, though he forbid both me and Saffron from doing so, even though both of us already had our own beasts to bond with. He was always kind to us though,, almost as if we were his own little brother and sister.
I found out later that his family had passed away a long time ago, when he was only just a boy like us. That was during the Great Darkness, a time when Saffron and I didn't even exist yet. I've heard only legends about it, since the historians have removed all information of that time period from the town archives.
I questioned Legion about it one day, but his only answer was that some things are better left untold.
"Very good, Van," Legion said as he stood up smiling.
"Yeah, that was awesome!" Saffron beamed as she clapped.
Van sat down on the ground, catching his breath. "Finally… I've got it down to thirty seconds," he said in between breaths.
"Your skills have really improved over this past month," Legion said as he handed Van a bottle of water. "Why, I still remember the first time you tried the target exercise. How long did it take you to hit them all?"
Van took the water and drank. "Don't remind me," he said. "But now I've got it."
Legion sat down beside him. "Hey Saffron, come here for a moment," he said as he motioned towards her. "I've got something that I have to tell you two."
Saffron ran over and sat down beside Van. "What is it?" she asked curiously.
"I don't think I'll be able to train you two for a while," Legion said as he looked towards the sky. "It's been nice not having to work for the past few months, but duty calls once again."
"What? You're leaving for war?" Van asked as he put down the bottle that he was holding.
Legion shook his head and laughed. "No, nothing that serious, kid. I have to go help rebuild the town now," he said.
"But, if you're not leaving, then we can still come to see you, can't we?" Saffron asked.
Legion shook his head again. "I'd rather you don't. It'll look bad for me if the commander's around."
"I can talk to Leon," Van offered. "Then maybe you can get switched off the job or something," he said hopefully.
"No, don't do that," Legion said. "I'm a soldier. This is part of my job, and it's my duty to complete it to the best of my ability."
"But, Legion… we need you," Saffron said as she moved over beside him and clung onto his arm tightly.
"You two make it sound like I really am going to war or something," Legion said as he put his arms around his two apprentices. "Don't worry. In a couple of months this will all be done with, and things will go back to the way they are now."
"Be right back… I've got something for you guys," he added as he stood up and went into his wooden hut.
He came back outside with a long neck-cleaving knife, encased in a metal holder. "This, my friend, is for you," Legion said as he handed the sword to Van.
"But, why?" Van asked incredulously as he held the enormous blade with shaking hands.
"Times of peace are upon us now, I've got no use for it anymore," Legion replied. "You can train with it, as long as you promise to be careful. It'll be a lot harder to use compared with the sticks that you've been using up until now."
"And this, Saffron, is for you," he said as he produced a wooden flute from his other hand. It had been carved with the utmost precision, and its appearance was certainly no indication of its age.
"Oh my, it's beautiful!" Saffron said as she took the flute and examined. it. "Thank you, Legion!"
"My sister used to play that all the time when I was a child like you," Legion said with a smile. "Hopefully, it'll bring the same joy to you that it did for me."
The sun was beginning to set, and the light that had covered the ground earlier was slowly fading into the darkness. "It's getting late. You two should go home before your mother comes looking for you like last time," Legion said.
"Legion… thanks for everything," Van said as he stood up and faced his mentor. "Be careful out there, and come back soon."
Legion nodded. "You have my word," he said. "Keep training though, you hear? I expect both of you to be a lot stronger when I get back."
Van and Saffron both nodded. "You can count on that!" Saffron said.
Legion smiled, one last time. "I'll hold you to it. Now go on, get out of here."
"Come on, Saffron. Let's go," Van said as he turned and began to walk back towards Saffron's house.
Saffron nodded. "Goodbye, Legion. Thanks for all your help," she said.
"You're a good girl, Saffron," Legion said. "Do me a favor, and watch out for Van, okay? You'll have to stop him in case he's tempted to try another integration."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him!" Saffron said.
"Good. Now go on, you don't want to keep him waiting now, do you?" Legion said.
Saffron turned and began to walk away. "Bye! Don't forget us!" she said as she waved and cast a final look at her dear friend before moving out of sight.
Legion had said that he would come back… but he never did. An explosion in the construction zone one day killed twelve workers, and Legion was one of them. Leon was the one who brought the grave news to me, and I didn't take it too well at first.
Well, maybe that's a bit of an understatement. I pretty much lost all control over my emotions that day. In my rage, I once again integrated with the white wolf that had been my first partner. With anger as my guide and raw animal instincts as my power, I went on an all-out rampage through our village, destroying houses and even killing five people who had tried to stop me. Only when Saffron integrated with her falcon was she able to defeat me in battle, and calm the anger that had plunged my heart into darkness.
Since that day, the Elder had forbidden me to integrate with the wolf, as it had been deemed a danger to the people of the village. Leon pleaded with him to spare its life, and so the wolf was allowed to live. However, the Elder had to seal away its powers within a special box, which was then locked away in the village temple, never again to be revealed to the world. Only then was the wolf allowed to stay with me as a family pet.
What the Elder didn't know, however, was that the limits of the wolf's powers extended far beyond that of any normal beast. Sealing away its physical powers took away a sizable chunk of its strength, but its spiritual power was a whole different story…
"And that's pretty what happened," Saffron said. "After the new town was finally completed, we were able to slowly regain what remained of our past lifestyles, and that's how we've been going… at least until now."
"Wow…" Garet said, speaking for the first time in almost fifteen minutes. "I never would have imagined that your town had so much history behind it."
"Our past is filled with mysteries, as is our future," Saffron said as she looked outside through the window in the room. The full moon was still shining brightly in the night sky, a single light among the fields of darkness.
"So… what do you plan to do now?" Garet asked.
Saffron sighed sadly. "When he comes to, I guess we'll be going back to our town," she said. "We still have to report our failure to the Elder."
"But wait a minute, Isaac told me that the guy who had stolen the tablet earlier was named Leon," Garet said. "Was that the same guy from your story?"
Saffron nodded. "That's the one," she replied. "Van's brother."
"What happened to him? He sounded like a good guy," Garet said curiously.
Saffron sighed again. "He was, at one point. After Van's mother died in the fire, he took it upon himself to raise his little brother to the best of his ability. But after the day Van integrated with the wolf again… he's just never been the same."
"Don't see why that would be," Garet said. "He seems like he had a really good life going, being a high-ranking official in the armed force and all."
"The taste of power is sweet to some people, to the becoming irresistible after awhile," Saffron answered. "Leon couldn't bear the fact that his little brother could possess more power than himself, so one day he tried to unleash the wolf's sealed powers for himself. He was caught in the process, and from that day forward he was exiled from the town by the Elder."
"Whoa… never would have pegged the guy for that," Garet said.
"Neither would have I," another voice said from beside the two. Saffron and Garet spun around out of surprise.
It was Van. He was awake once again, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed.
To Be Continued…
